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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 116 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 · pass · press · swing · spring · vault · bark · drill

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. drill — army training
  3. press — to push
  4. track — a path
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. track — to keep track
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. press — newspapers
  13. swing — in golf
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. press — a publisher
  17. track — a song
  18. spring — of water
  19. pass — a permit
  20. swing — music
  21. vault — a safe
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. swing — to play on
  24. spring — the season

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