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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: band · ball · field · nail · tear · chair · wave · press

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. tear — to rip
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. ball — a great time
  10. press — a publisher
  11. tear — from crying
  12. chair — a leader
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — a subject
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. band — a ring
  20. field — for sport
  21. press — to push
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a music group
  24. ball — a dance

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