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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: press · craft · clip · vault · root · mine · perch · field

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. root — the cause
  3. clip — a video
  4. root — of a word
  5. craft — boats
  6. vault — a safe
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. press — to push
  9. press — newspapers
  10. craft — a skill
  11. clip — for paper
  12. perch — the fish
  13. press — a publisher
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. clip — to cut
  18. mine — for digging
  19. field — for sport
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. field — a subject
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. field — farmland
  24. root — of a plant

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