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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: hand · suit · present · track · press · drill · prune · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. press — newspapers
  4. track — a path
  5. hand — help
  6. present — the time now
  7. prune — to trim
  8. track — a song
  9. press — a publisher
  10. prune — to trim
  11. track — to keep track
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. present — there
  14. drill — the tool
  15. press — to push
  16. drill — army training
  17. suit — to fit
  18. hand — in cards
  19. wind — moving air
  20. suit — clothes
  21. drill — a practice
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. present — a gift
  24. suit — in cards

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