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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: cap · stick · press · cold · tear · nail · root · stem

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. stem — to come from
  3. cold — an illness
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. press — newspapers
  6. root — of a word
  7. press — to push
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. tear — from crying
  12. root — of a plant
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — of ice
  19. tear — from crying
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. cold — not warm
  22. tear — to rip
  23. root — the cause
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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