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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: present · track · rule · bay · press · tear · lean · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. rule — a law
  4. present — the time now
  5. lean — thin
  6. press — to push
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. press — newspapers
  13. lean — to bend
  14. press — a publisher
  15. track — a path
  16. present — there
  17. rule — government
  18. present — a gift
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. track — a song
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. tear — from crying

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