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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · root · prune · racket · press · swing · season · cue

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. cue — a signal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. swing — in golf
  7. prune — to trim
  8. swing — to play on
  9. season — of the year
  10. root — of a plant
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. press — newspapers
  13. root — the cause
  14. press — a publisher
  15. cue — for pool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. season — in sport
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. prune — to trim
  21. root — of a word
  22. swing — music
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. cue — a hint

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