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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a ring
  4. fall — to drop
  5. firm — decided
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. chair — a leader
  9. capital — a city
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. firm — steady
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — a division
  14. press — a publisher
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pass — a permit
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. fall — the season
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. press — to push
  23. press — newspapers
  24. firm — a company

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