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

Word bank: racket · pound · straw · cabinet · band · press

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. band — a music group
  9. pound — a weight
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. press — to push
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — newspapers

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