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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 120 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: mouse · field · pitcher · root · press · present · bass · craft

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — to push
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bass — low music
  6. root — the cause
  7. craft — a skill
  8. present — the time now
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. present — there
  11. present — a gift
  12. bass — the fish
  13. field — farmland
  14. root — of a plant
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. craft — boats
  21. root — of a word
  22. field — for sport
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. field — a subject

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