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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: press · band · spell · mark · field · shower · firm · ruler

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  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. ruler — a monarch
  2. shower — to wash
  3. field — farmland
  4. band — a ring
  5. firm — a company
  6. mark — a trace
  7. press — a publisher
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. spell — letters
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. firm — decided
  13. mark — a grade
  14. band — a music group
  15. shower — rain
  16. press — to push
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. firm — steady
  20. spell — a short time
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. spell — magic
  23. mark — to pay attention
  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