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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. band — a ring
  3. press — to push
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. field — a subject
  6. press — a publisher
  7. can — to be able to
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. band — a music group
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. can — a tin
  14. field — for sport
  15. press — newspapers
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. field — farmland
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. can — a tin
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. track — a song
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. pound — to hit hard

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