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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: press · cell · game · mouse · drill · staff · band · stick

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. press — newspapers
  4. staff — a stick
  5. cell — a phone
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. press — a publisher
  9. drill — a practice
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. band — a music group
  12. game — a match
  13. band — a ring
  14. staff — employees
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. staff — employees
  18. drill — the tool
  19. cell — in biology
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. game — wild animals
  22. drill — army training
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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