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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: racket · press · trunk · cold · nail · wound · stand · band

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — not warm
  4. band — a music group
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. press — newspapers
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wound — an injury
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. press — a publisher
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. band — a ring
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. stand — to bear
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. press — to push

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