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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: ground · press · cell · tear · tube · racket · cue · leaves

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. tube — a container
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. ground — a position
  6. tube — the underground
  7. press — a publisher
  8. tear — from crying
  9. ground — the earth
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. ground — crushed
  14. press — to push
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. tear — from crying
  21. press — newspapers
  22. cue — a hint
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. cue — for pool

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