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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: squash · track · band · fine · shower · press · plane · key

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. fine — high quality
  3. press — to push
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. squash — the sport
  7. fine — all right
  8. shower — rain
  9. band — a music group
  10. key — in music
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. shower — to wash
  13. band — a ring
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. squash — to crush
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. press — a publisher
  19. plane — a tool
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — for a lock
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. press — newspapers

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