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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: track · racket · bound · press · shower · spring · club · lean

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. shower — to wash
  3. track — a path
  4. lean — thin
  5. press — to push
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. track — to keep track
  8. club — for dancing
  9. press — a publisher
  10. spring — the season
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bound — obliged
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — a group
  16. track — a song
  17. lean — to bend
  18. spring — of water
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bound — tied together
  21. shower — rain
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. press — newspapers
  24. racket — a loud noise

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