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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: press · wax · field · squash · can · pop · track · root

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. press — a publisher
  4. field — a subject
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pop — to visit
  7. track — a path
  8. can — a tin
  9. root — the cause
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. track — a song
  12. root — of a word
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. field — farmland
  16. track — to keep track
  17. squash — the sport
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. pop — music
  21. root — of a plant
  22. press — to push
  23. pop — soda
  24. press — newspapers

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