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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: band · mine · rest · mouse · clip · game · press · mark

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. rest — a break
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. press — newspapers
  8. game — a match
  9. clip — a video
  10. press — to push
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — for paper
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a ring
  21. mark — a trace
  22. press — a publisher
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mark — a grade

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