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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: stock · root · present · ground · press · court · perch · tube

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — the underground
  4. perch — the fish
  5. press — newspapers
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. court — for sport
  8. present — the time now
  9. ground — a position
  10. root — of a word
  11. present — a gift
  12. press — to push
  13. court — of a king
  14. stock — goods
  15. root — of a plant
  16. press — a publisher
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. root — the cause
  19. stock — shares
  20. ground — crushed
  21. court — of law
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. present — there
  24. tube — in a tire

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