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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: band · rock · coach · press · pit · race

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. press — a publisher
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — a contest
  7. press — to push
  8. pit — a hole
  9. band — a music group
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. press — newspapers
  12. rock — a stone
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pit — in a race
  15. race — humankind
  16. band — a ring
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rock — music

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