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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: lean · press · tube · mine · tear · vault · band · can

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. vault — a safe
  5. tube — a container
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. tear — from crying
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — to push
  11. lean — to bend
  12. can — a tin
  13. tear — to rip
  14. mine — for digging
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. press — a publisher
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. can — a tin
  20. lean — thin
  21. tube — the underground
  22. can — to be able to
  23. band — a music group
  24. tear — from crying

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