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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 · field · pop · perch · roll · hand · bulb · stem

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. roll — a cake
  5. pop — music
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — to push
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. stem — to come from
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. roll — a list
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. perch — the fish
  22. hand — help
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pop — soda

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