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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 116 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: press · bank · staff · wound · ground · pitcher · firm · root

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. root — of a plant
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. root — the cause
  5. ground — the earth
  6. firm — a company
  7. staff — a stick
  8. ground — crushed
  9. wound — an injury
  10. root — of a word
  11. bank — for money
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bank — of a river
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. staff — employees
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. firm — decided
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. press — newspapers
  20. firm — steady
  21. press — a publisher
  22. ground — a position
  23. press — to push
  24. staff — employees

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