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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: racket · last · press · stem · rock · bat · bore · pound

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. stem — to come from
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. pound — a weight
  6. last — finally
  7. bore — to tire
  8. last — to go on
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bore — to drill
  14. rock — a stone
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. last — final
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. press — a publisher
  19. bat — the animal
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. rock — music
  24. pound — to hit hard

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