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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 116 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: key · rash · wound · court · root · fall · press · bay

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. press — to push
  3. court — for sport
  4. root — of a word
  5. wound — an injury
  6. root — of a plant
  7. rash — a series
  8. court — of a king
  9. press — newspapers
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. fall — to drop
  16. key — in music
  17. rash — hasty
  18. wound — an injury
  19. court — of law
  20. key — the most important part
  21. fall — the season
  22. root — the cause
  23. press — a publisher
  24. key — for a lock

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