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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. rest — what's left
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. band — a music group
  7. rest — a break
  8. bound — tied together
  9. press — to push
  10. season — in sport
  11. press — newspapers
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — obliged
  15. season — of the year
  16. press — a publisher
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. rest — what's left

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