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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cold · press · spell · last · prune · tube · board · root

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. spell — letters
  3. tube — a container
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. spell — magic
  6. press — to push
  7. press — newspapers
  8. root — the cause
  9. press — a publisher
  10. last — to go on
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. cold — an illness
  16. last — final
  17. board — to get on
  18. prune — to trim
  19. spell — a short time
  20. cold — not warm
  21. root — of a plant
  22. prune — to trim
  23. last — finally
  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