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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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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: plane · mate · arm · straw · root · track · press · nail

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. root — of a plant
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. mate — to breed
  5. track — a song
  6. press — to push
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — a partner
  9. plane — a tool
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. root — of a word
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. track — to keep track
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. track — a path
  19. root — the cause
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. press — newspapers

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