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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: ruler · squash · band · march · press · swing

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  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. march — music
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. band — a ring
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. press — a publisher
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. squash — the sport
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. swing — in golf
  12. press — newspapers
  13. march — the month
  14. squash — to crush
  15. march — the month
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. band — a rubber band
  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