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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. press — to push
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. band — a ring
  5. press — a publisher
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for golf
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — for a lock
  10. club — for dancing
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. key — in music
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. tube — the underground
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a path
  18. press — newspapers
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. track — a song
  23. tube — a container
  24. wake — a trail

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