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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: kick · bass · press · game · band · deal · wax · stand

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. press — a publisher
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bass — the fish
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. press — newspapers
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. press — to push
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. kick — in football
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. bass — low music
  21. wax — to grow
  22. game — a match
  23. deal — to handle
  24. game — wild animals

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