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

Word bank: march · band · deal · ruler · bound · press

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. march — the month
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — newspapers
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a music group
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. march — music
  12. bound — tied together
  13. press — to push
  14. march — the month
  15. band — a ring
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. deal — to handle
  18. ruler — for measuring

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