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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: ball · band · pit · spring · press · stand · rock · last

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. pit — a hole
  4. rock — music
  5. press — newspapers
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. rock — a stone
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. band — a music group
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a great time
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. last — finally
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. last — to go on
  17. band — a ring
  18. pit — in a race
  19. stand — to bear
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — of water
  23. last — final
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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