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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — to push
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. mug — a face
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wound — an injury
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rest — what's left
  13. spell — magic
  14. saw — the tool
  15. spell — letters
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. press — newspapers
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rest — a break
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mug — to rob
  23. band — a ring
  24. mug — a cup

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