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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: can · suit · nail · press · hand · content · stem · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. suit — clothes
  3. press — to push
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. suit — to fit
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. suit — in cards
  12. band — a ring
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. can — a tin
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — happy
  17. hand — in cards
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. press — a publisher
  22. stem — to come from
  23. press — newspapers
  24. nail — for a hammer

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