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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: track · press · present · wind · swing · field

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — farmland
  4. press — to push
  5. swing — in golf
  6. press — a publisher
  7. present — the time now
  8. swing — music
  9. press — newspapers
  10. present — a gift
  11. track — a path
  12. field — for sport
  13. present — there
  14. track — to keep track
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. swing — to play on
  17. track — a song
  18. wind — moving air

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