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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. tube — the underground
  3. press — to push
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bound — tied together
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. band — a music group
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bound — obliged
  10. plane — a tool
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bulb — for light
  13. squash — the sport
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bound — certain
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. press — a publisher
  21. tube — a container
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. tube — in a tire

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