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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: press · tube · pound · chair · can · fall · cabinet · band

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. press — newspapers
  4. can — a tin
  5. pound — a weight
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. tube — a container
  12. can — to be able to
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. press — a publisher
  18. band — a music group
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. can — a tin
  21. chair — a leader
  22. tube — the underground
  23. press — to push
  24. pound — to hit hard

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