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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: vault · press · bore · racket · band · rest

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bore — to tire
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bore — to drill
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rest — what's left
  11. press — newspapers
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. vault — a safe
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. press — to push

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