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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: march · hand · plane · press · lie · track · present · band

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  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. plane — an aircraft
  2. track — a path
  3. track — to keep track
  4. band — a ring
  5. lie — to recline
  6. press — to push
  7. present — the time now
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. plane — a tool
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. band — a music group
  18. track — a song
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. press — a publisher
  22. present — there
  23. present — a gift
  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