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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 120 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: stem · track · press · pass · pound · rash · bat · trunk

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bat — the animal
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. pass — a permit
  9. rash — a series
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. press — newspapers
  12. rash — hasty
  13. press — to push
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. press — a publisher
  18. track — a song
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. track — to keep track
  24. trunk — of a car

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