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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: track · clip · spring · suit · bound · temple · season · press

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  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. bound — tied together
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — to fit
  4. press — to push
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bound — obliged
  8. suit — clothes
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. clip — a video
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bound — certain
  14. track — a path
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. press — a publisher
  17. spring — of water
  18. clip — for paper
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a song
  21. clip — to cut
  22. spring — the season
  23. season — in sport
  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