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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: pass · game · can · bound · band · cabinet · press · row

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. press — to push
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. press — newspapers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. can — a tin
  7. band — a ring
  8. bound — tied together
  9. game — a match
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bound — certain
  12. band — a music group
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. can — a tin
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a line
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bound — obliged
  20. can — to be able to
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. pass — a permit
  23. press — a publisher
  24. cabinet — ministers

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