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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 · jam · snap · band · ground · can · march · drill

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. band — a ring
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. can — a tin
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. press — newspapers
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. drill — the tool
  10. ground — a position
  11. press — to push
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. press — a publisher
  14. march — the month
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. ground — crushed
  17. drill — army training
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. can — a tin
  21. ground — the earth
  22. can — to be able to
  23. band — a music group
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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