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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. root — the cause
  3. present — the time now
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. track — a song
  7. track — a path
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. press — a publisher
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. root — of a word
  13. press — newspapers
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. present — there
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. track — to keep track
  18. pound — a weight
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. press — to push
  21. tear — from crying
  22. present — a gift
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. root — of a plant

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