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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
468
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: root · season · fan · band · pound · mate · press · net

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. mate — to breed
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. press — to push
  5. pound — a weight
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. root — the cause
  9. net — after costs
  10. press — newspapers
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. net — in sport
  14. mate — a friend
  15. net — for catching
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — of a word
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. press — a publisher
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. season — in sport
  22. band — a ring
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. mate — a partner

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