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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: rock · firm · press · scale · band · chair · clip · wax

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. clip — a video
  3. band — a ring
  4. rock — a stone
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. firm — steady
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — music
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. press — to push
  11. press — a publisher
  12. firm — decided
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — in music
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — to grow
  17. clip — for paper
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. press — newspapers
  20. chair — a leader
  21. firm — a company
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. clip — to cut
  24. chair — a professorship

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