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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. spell — magic
  3. fall — to drop
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. fall — the season
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. fall — to drop
  8. swing — to play on
  9. track — to keep track
  10. swing — music
  11. track — a song
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. field — a subject
  14. press — newspapers
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bank — for money
  17. field — for sport
  18. press — a publisher
  19. swing — in golf
  20. track — a path
  21. field — farmland
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bank — for money
  24. spell — letters

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