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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: mate · net · band · prune · press · tube · pass · saw

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — a partner
  4. tube — a container
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. band — a music group
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. press — newspapers
  9. tube — the underground
  10. saw — the tool
  11. net — after costs
  12. press — to push
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. mate — to breed
  17. prune — to trim
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. prune — to trim
  20. band — a ring
  21. saw — the tool
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. press — a publisher
  24. pass — a permit

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