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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: press · bass · root · tube · cabinet · stick · lash · bulb

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. press — a publisher
  3. tube — a container
  4. bass — low music
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. tube — the underground
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. root — of a word
  16. press — to push
  17. root — the cause
  18. press — newspapers
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bass — the fish
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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