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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · hand · object · lash · present · press · track · wind

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. track — to keep track
  4. object — to protest
  5. object — an aim
  6. present — a gift
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. hand — in cards
  13. press — to push
  14. press — newspapers
  15. track — a song
  16. present — the time now
  17. press — a publisher
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. track — a path
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. object — a thing
  22. present — there
  23. march — the month
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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