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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 120 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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. ground — a position
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. ground — the earth
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. press — to push
  10. press — newspapers
  11. stem — to come from
  12. press — a publisher
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. season — of the year
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. ground — crushed
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. snap — to click
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. season — in sport

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