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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: squash · bay · march · file · press · capital · hand · root

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. press — a publisher
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. press — to push
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. file — a tool
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. file — a line of people
  14. squash — the sport
  15. file — a document
  16. root — of a word
  17. capital — a city
  18. march — music
  19. squash — to crush
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. capital — money
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — help

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