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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: track · shower · press · wax · prune · hide · foot · pound

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. foot — a measure
  3. track — to keep track
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. press — a publisher
  6. shower — rain
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. prune — to trim
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. press — to push
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. track — a song
  14. shower — to wash
  15. wax — to grow
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. pound — a weight
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. prune — to trim
  22. press — newspapers
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. hide — to keep secret

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