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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 · bear · press · vault · season · fall · perch · racket

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — the earth
  3. press — to push
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. season — of the year
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. fall — to drop
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. season — in sport
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. fall — the season
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bear — the animal
  18. fall — to drop
  19. ground — a position
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. vault — a safe
  23. press — newspapers
  24. season — to add flavour

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