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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. spring — the season
  4. bank — of a river
  5. track — a path
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. press — a publisher
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. press — to push
  12. bank — for money
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wax — to grow
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bank — for money
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. track — a song
  24. track — to keep track

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