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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wind · leaves · track · ball · rush · field · mouse · press

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. track — a song
  3. field — for sport
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. track — to keep track
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — to push
  11. track — a path
  12. field — a subject
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. field — farmland
  17. ball — a great time
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. ball — a dance
  22. rush — hurry
  23. press — newspapers
  24. mouse — the animal

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