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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: pop · field · press · mine · tear · racket · pass · fork

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. press — a publisher
  5. field — a subject
  6. pop — music
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. field — farmland
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. press — to push
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. field — for sport
  16. tear — to rip
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. mine — for digging
  21. tear — from crying
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. fork — in a road

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