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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: drill · branch · dip · press · track · hand · present · board

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — to sink
  3. track — a song
  4. track — to keep track
  5. press — a publisher
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — to get on
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. drill — army training
  10. present — there
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. drill — the tool
  14. present — the time now
  15. hand — help
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. branch — a division
  18. press — to push
  19. press — newspapers
  20. drill — a practice
  21. hand — in cards
  22. present — a gift
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. track — a path

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