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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: club · pitcher · pop · press · track · band · mine · rock

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. pop — to visit
  4. press — to push
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mine — for digging
  7. track — a path
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — newspapers
  10. rock — music
  11. track — a song
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rock — a stone
  14. club — for golf
  15. band — a ring
  16. club — for dancing
  17. pop — soda
  18. club — a group
  19. pop — music
  20. band — a music group
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. band — a rubber band

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