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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: stem · bear · ball · court · craft · mine · roll · press

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. press — to push
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. ball — a great time
  6. court — of a king
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bear — the animal
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — a cake
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. stem — to come from
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. court — of law
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. craft — a skill
  20. craft — boats
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. press — newspapers
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bear — the animal

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