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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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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 · plane · scale · tear · cap · fall · press · jam

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. scale — in music
  3. press — to push
  4. tear — from crying
  5. press — a publisher
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — of ice
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. cap — a hat
  10. plane — a tool
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. tear — to rip
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. tear — from crying
  24. jam — a tight spot

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