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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 · scale · trunk · press · spring · racket · stem · pop

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. spring — a coil
  3. press — a publisher
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. press — newspapers
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pop — music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. press — to push
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. scale — size or range
  16. spring — the season
  17. pop — soda
  18. spring — of water
  19. scale — in music
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pop — to visit
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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