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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 · pound · ruler · wind · cell · shower · lash · root

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. root — of a word
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. root — of a plant
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. press — a publisher
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. cell — in biology
  11. press — to push
  12. shower — to wash
  13. wind — moving air
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pound — a weight
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — a phone
  20. shower — rain
  21. root — the cause
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wind — moving air
  24. lash — an eyelash

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