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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: march · vault · band · jam · wound · press · lash · bear

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. vault — a safe
  6. march — the month
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. press — newspapers
  11. march — music
  12. wound — an injury
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. press — to push
  16. band — a ring
  17. march — the month
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bear — the animal
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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