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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.

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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. press — to push
  3. ground — the earth
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. mark — a trace
  11. ground — a position
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — a publisher
  15. ground — crushed
  16. branch — a division
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mark — a grade
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. saw — the tool

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