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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: ground · press · bound · track · trunk · clip · land · bore

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — to keep track
  3. ground — a position
  4. bore — to drill
  5. press — newspapers
  6. bound — certain
  7. land — ground
  8. bound — tied together
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bore — to tire
  11. ground — crushed
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. track — a path
  17. press — a publisher
  18. clip — to cut
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. press — to push
  23. ground — the earth
  24. clip — a video

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