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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.

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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: spring · track · board · press · march · saw · can · bat

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. saw — the tool
  3. track — a path
  4. press — newspapers
  5. can — a tin
  6. track — a song
  7. can — to be able to
  8. saw — the tool
  9. march — the month
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. march — music
  13. board — a committee
  14. can — a tin
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. board — to get on
  18. march — the month
  19. bat — the animal
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. press — to push
  23. track — to keep track
  24. spring — the season

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