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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.

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: field · mouse · root · racket · ground · saw · press · rock

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — farmland
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rock — music
  5. root — of a plant
  6. ground — crushed
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. ground — a position
  10. root — of a word
  11. press — to push
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ground — the earth
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. press — a publisher
  20. rock — a stone
  21. field — a subject
  22. press — newspapers
  23. root — the cause
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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