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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: deal · track · wind · season · press · wound · scale · dip

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. track — a song
  3. wind — moving air
  4. track — to keep track
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. scale — in music
  8. deal — to handle
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — to push
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. scale — size or range
  18. press — a publisher
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wound — an injury
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to sink
  23. track — a path
  24. dip — to dunk

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