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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 · fork · track · present · spell · jam · spring · band

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. track — to keep track
  3. spell — magic
  4. track — a path
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. press — newspapers
  9. spring — of water
  10. band — a music group
  11. fork — in a road
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. band — a ring
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spring — a coil
  17. track — a song
  18. present — a gift
  19. spell — letters
  20. press — a publisher
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. press — to push
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — there

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