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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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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: season · board · band · staff · press · straw · field · lie

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. field — farmland
  3. staff — employees
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. lie — to recline
  6. staff — a stick
  7. press — to push
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — newspapers
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. band — a music group
  14. staff — employees
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. season — of the year
  17. board — to get on
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. field — a subject
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. field — for sport
  22. board — a committee
  23. season — in sport
  24. band — a ring

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