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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.

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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: squash · prune · bat · press · bay · deal · root · current

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. root — of a word
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. squash — to crush
  9. current — happening now
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. root — of a plant
  13. bat — the animal
  14. current — electric
  15. current — of water
  16. root — the cause
  17. squash — the sport
  18. press — a publisher
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. press — to push
  21. press — newspapers
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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