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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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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. press — newspapers
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. band — a music group
  8. fall — to drop
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. fall — to drop
  12. squash — to crush
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. press — to push
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. band — a ring
  20. squash — the sport
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. deal — to handle
  24. press — a publisher

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