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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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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 · press · present · wind · swing · field · straw · lash

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. press — newspapers
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. field — for sport
  5. press — a publisher
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. track — to keep track
  8. field — farmland
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. swing — to play on
  13. wind — moving air
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — the time now
  16. swing — music
  17. track — a path
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. wind — moving air
  20. track — a song
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. field — a subject
  23. press — to push
  24. swing — in golf

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