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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rush · cell · press · kid · staff · mine · root · mark

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — hurry
  4. mark — a trace
  5. staff — employees
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. root — of a plant
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. press — to push
  13. press — a publisher
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. root — the cause
  16. cell — in biology
  17. press — newspapers
  18. mark — a grade
  19. kid — to tease
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. staff — a stick
  23. cell — a phone
  24. root — of a word

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com