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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: bear · bulb · pound · root · file · track · kick · press

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  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. track — a song
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. track — a path
  4. bulb — for light
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. file — a tool
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. bear — the animal
  10. root — of a plant
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bulb — for light
  13. file — a document
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. pound — a weight
  17. track — to keep track
  18. root — of a word
  19. press — to push
  20. kick — in football
  21. root — the cause
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  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