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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: ground · press · bore · rule · band · rest

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rule — a law
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to drill
  8. ground — a position
  9. rest — what's left
  10. press — newspapers
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. ground — the earth
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. rule — government
  15. bore — to tire
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — to push
  18. rest — a break

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