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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. press — to push
  3. firm — a company
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. firm — steady
  12. fine — high quality
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. press — newspapers
  15. rush — hurry
  16. press — a publisher
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fine — all right
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. firm — decided
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. band — a music group
  24. rush — a thrill

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