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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 116 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: lie · press · track · trunk · band · season · drill · board

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. drill — a practice
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. press — newspapers
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. track — a song
  9. season — in sport
  10. band — a ring
  11. board — a committee
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. press — to push
  14. lie — to recline
  15. band — a music group
  16. board — to get on
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. drill — the tool
  19. track — a path
  20. season — of the year
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. track — to keep track
  23. drill — army training
  24. lie — an untruth

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