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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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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 · wax · track · rush · bark · cue · last · bank

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. press — a publisher
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bank — of a river
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bank — for money
  10. press — newspapers
  11. track — a song
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bank — for money
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. last — final
  16. rush — hurry
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. cue — for pool
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. cue — a hint
  24. track — a path

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