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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.

Make a worksheet

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: net · press · scale · march · staff · track · hand · tube

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. press — to push
  3. march — music
  4. track — a song
  5. net — in sport
  6. press — newspapers
  7. track — to keep track
  8. march — the month
  9. net — after costs
  10. press — a publisher
  11. staff — employees
  12. track — a path
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. tube — the underground
  16. net — for catching
  17. staff — employees
  18. march — the month
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — size or range
  21. staff — a stick
  22. hand — in cards
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. tube — a container

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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