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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 120 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: cabinet · track · press · tear · lean · bear · mouse · present

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  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. track — a song
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. press — newspapers
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. press — to push
  6. bear — the animal
  7. tear — to rip
  8. lean — thin
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. present — a gift
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. tear — from crying
  13. lean — to bend
  14. present — there
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. press — a publisher
  21. tear — from crying
  22. present — the time now
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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