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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: rock · cell · track · squash · bound · tube · roll · press

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. press — to push
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. roll — a list
  6. squash — to crush
  7. cell — in biology
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. press — newspapers
  10. squash — the sport
  11. track — a song
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bound — certain
  14. press — a publisher
  15. cell — a phone
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — music
  19. track — a path
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — a container
  24. track — to keep track

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