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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: band · firm · object · wave · press · tear · straw · spring

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. press — newspapers
  6. tear — from crying
  7. press — a publisher
  8. object — to protest
  9. tear — to rip
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. press — to push
  13. firm — decided
  14. spring — of water
  15. object — a thing
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. tear — from crying
  18. firm — steady
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. band — a ring
  21. firm — a company
  22. band — a music group
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

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