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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 · pop · kick · hide · club · craft · fall · band

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. pop — music
  5. craft — a skill
  6. pop — soda
  7. fall — the season
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — for dancing
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. pop — to visit
  12. press — a publisher
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a music group
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. craft — boats
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. kick — in football
  20. fall — to drop
  21. press — to push
  22. fall — to drop
  23. press — newspapers
  24. club — a group

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