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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 120 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 · board · stem · pop · wind · stick · lie · band

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. press — to push
  3. wind — moving air
  4. band — a music group
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — to visit
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. board — a committee
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. press — newspapers
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. band — a ring
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. pop — music
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. press — a publisher
  23. board — to get on
  24. stem — to come from

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