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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 116 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. wind — moving air
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. land — a country
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. land — to come down
  12. press — newspapers
  13. wind — moving air
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. land — ground
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. tear — to rip
  19. band — a music group
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. band — a ring
  22. press — a publisher
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pass — to spend time

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