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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: wind · press · tube · calf · land · track · mark · leaves

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. press — newspapers
  4. press — a publisher
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. mark — a grade
  10. track — a song
  11. press — to push
  12. track — to keep track
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. land — a country
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. track — a path
  18. tube — the underground
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. wind — moving air
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wind — moving air
  23. tube — a container
  24. wind — to turn a key

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