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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 120 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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. press — to push
  5. cap — of ice
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. press — a publisher
  8. row — to paddle
  9. cap — a lid
  10. row — a line
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. shower — to wash
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. dip — to sink
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. band — a ring
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. shower — rain
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. press — newspapers
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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