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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: mine · foot · bat · last · press · fan · track · bank

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bat — the animal
  4. press — a publisher
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bank — for money
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. last — final
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. press — to push
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. track — a song
  17. foot — a measure
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. press — newspapers
  22. last — finally
  23. mine — for digging
  24. last — to go on

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