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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: press · squash · track · straw · bank · club · nail · content

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. press — to push
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a path
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. club — for golf
  8. press — a publisher
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bank — for money
  13. press — newspapers
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bank — for money
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bank — of a river
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — happy
  23. squash — the sport
  24. nail — on a finger

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