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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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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 · club · vault · roll · nail · root · shower · row

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. club — for dancing
  3. press — a publisher
  4. roll — a cake
  5. root — of a plant
  6. press — newspapers
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. row — a line
  10. press — to push
  11. club — for golf
  12. root — the cause
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. row — to paddle
  16. roll — a list
  17. vault — a safe
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. club — a group
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. shower — to wash
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. shower — rain

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