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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 120 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 · board · press · straw · track · safe · tube · land

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. press — to push
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. land — ground
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. tube — the underground
  7. track — a song
  8. board — to get on
  9. track — to keep track
  10. tube — a container
  11. press — a publisher
  12. land — to come down
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. mine — for digging
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. board — a committee
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. land — a country
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. press — newspapers
  24. board — a flat piece

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