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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: track · tear · press · pound · rash · tube · mouse · chest

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. chest — of your body
  4. track — a path
  5. track — to keep track
  6. tube — the underground
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. track — a song
  10. rash — a series
  11. tear — from crying
  12. chest — of your body
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. tear — to rip
  16. rash — hasty
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. press — to push
  19. press — a publisher
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. tube — a container
  23. press — newspapers
  24. pound — a weight

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