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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 · saw · press · track · straw · bank · rest · sharp

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. rest — a break
  6. march — the month
  7. sharp — clever
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bank — for money
  10. track — a path
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bank — of a river
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — newspapers
  15. march — the month
  16. saw — the tool
  17. press — to push
  18. march — music
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rest — what's left
  21. track — a song
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bank — for money

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