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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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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: wake · straw · ball · band · vault · press · rest · plane

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. rest — a break
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — a trail
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. band — a music group
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. press — to push
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. vault — a safe
  15. plane — a tool
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rest — what's left
  18. band — a ring
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. rest — what's left
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. ball — a dance
  24. press — newspapers

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