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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: ground · band · spell · press · track · pitcher · safe · club

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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. press — to push
  2. band — a music group
  3. spell — letters
  4. club — for dancing
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. band — a ring
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. club — for golf
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. track — a song
  11. press — a publisher
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. club — a group
  14. ground — the earth
  15. spell — magic
  16. track — to keep track
  17. ground — crushed
  18. spell — a short time
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. ground — a position
  22. track — a path
  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