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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: saw · current · cold · pop · root · net · press · fine

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. cold — an illness
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pop — to visit
  6. current — happening now
  7. pop — music
  8. current — of water
  9. net — for catching
  10. press — to push
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pop — soda
  17. press — newspapers
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cold — not warm
  20. net — in sport
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — the cause
  23. net — after costs
  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