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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: ball · bark · cabinet · safe · nail · press · spring · track

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. spring — the season
  4. ball — a great time
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. press — newspapers
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a song
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. track — a path
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. press — a publisher
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. spring — of water
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. ball — a dance
  24. spring — a coil

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