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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a ring
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. object — to protest
  7. rash — a series
  8. object — an aim
  9. object — a thing
  10. lie — to recline
  11. current — electric
  12. bound — obliged
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. current — of water
  18. press — a publisher
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. current — happening now
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bound — certain
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bound — tied together

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