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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 116 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: press · object · root · hide · board · stick · band · wake

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. press — to push
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. object — to protest
  5. press — newspapers
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. band — a ring
  11. press — a publisher
  12. wake — a trail
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. object — a thing
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. object — an aim
  17. board — to get on
  18. root — of a word
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. root — of a plant
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. root — the cause

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