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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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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: press · snap · pitch · root · scale · bore · racket · perch

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. root — of a word
  3. press — to push
  4. press — newspapers
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. root — of a plant
  8. press — a publisher
  9. scale — size or range
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. snap — to click
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. perch — the fish
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bore — to drill
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to tire
  22. scale — in music
  23. root — the cause
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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