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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — finally
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. last — final
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — to push
  15. pit — in a race
  16. branch — a division
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. perch — the fish
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. wax — to grow
  21. press — a publisher
  22. ball — a great time
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. pit — a hole

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