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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.

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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 · racket · spring · tear · ball · rush · ground · root

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. ground — a position
  4. press — to push
  5. press — newspapers
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. spring — of water
  8. tear — from crying
  9. spring — a coil
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. ball — a dance
  16. root — the cause
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. root — of a plant
  20. ground — the earth
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. spring — the season
  23. root — of a word
  24. press — a publisher

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