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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: row · saw · lean · track · press · pound · capital · arm

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. track — to keep track
  4. capital — a city
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. lean — to bend
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pound — a weight
  10. row — a line
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. track — a path
  13. capital — money
  14. row — to paddle
  15. press — newspapers
  16. saw — the tool
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. press — a publisher
  19. lean — thin
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. saw — the tool
  23. press — to push
  24. pound — to hit hard

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