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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: press · spell · track · root · straw · current · bank · spring

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. spell — letters
  3. track — a song
  4. bank — of a river
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. current — happening now
  7. spring — of water
  8. spell — magic
  9. root — the cause
  10. current — electric
  11. press — newspapers
  12. root — of a plant
  13. current — of water
  14. spell — a short time
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bank — for money
  18. root — of a word
  19. bank — for money
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. spring — the season
  22. track — a path
  23. press — to push
  24. press — a publisher

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