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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: rest · wave · chair · band · bat · toast · pop · press

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. chair — a leader
  3. pop — to visit
  4. rest — what's left
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. rest — a break
  7. press — newspapers
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. press — to push
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. toast — bread
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. band — a music group
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pop — music
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. press — a publisher
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bat — the animal

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