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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: press · plane · bay · track · bass · field · hide · bound

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. track — a song
  3. press — a publisher
  4. track — to keep track
  5. field — for sport
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. press — newspapers
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — low music
  16. field — farmland
  17. bound — obliged
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. field — a subject
  20. bound — certain
  21. track — a path
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. plane — a tool
  24. press — to push

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