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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 120 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — to get on
  4. band — a music group
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. band — a ring
  8. wake — a trail
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. pound — a weight
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. press — to push
  16. lean — thin
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. press — newspapers
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. lean — to bend
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. game — a match

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