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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: bound · can · track · nail · deal · press · kid · pound

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. kid — to tease
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. press — to push
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — to be able to
  13. pound — a weight
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. kid — child
  18. can — a tin
  19. track — a song
  20. track — a path
  21. bound — obliged
  22. track — to keep track
  23. press — newspapers
  24. deal — to handle

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