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

Word bank: track · press · toast · pound · swing · stem

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. press — a publisher
  4. toast — bread
  5. swing — music
  6. press — to push
  7. swing — to play on
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. press — newspapers
  10. swing — in golf
  11. track — a path
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. pound — a weight
  18. stem — a stem cell

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