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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 120 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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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: bay · shower · ball · rest · root · last · deal · press

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. last — final
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. root — of a word
  8. rest — what's left
  9. press — to push
  10. rest — a break
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. shower — rain
  14. ball — a dance
  15. rest — what's left
  16. ball — a great time
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. shower — to wash
  21. root — the cause
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — newspapers
  24. deal — an agreement

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