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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. band — a music group
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. current — happening now
  9. press — a publisher
  10. current — of water
  11. band — a ring
  12. press — to push
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. drill — a practice
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. drill — the tool
  18. press — newspapers
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. current — electric
  23. drill — army training
  24. racket — for tennis

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