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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: ruler · cabinet · squash · net · press · straw · chest · band

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. band — a music group
  3. squash — the sport
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. net — after costs
  8. press — a publisher
  9. net — in sport
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. band — a ring
  12. chest — a box
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. press — newspapers
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. net — for catching
  21. press — to push
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. chest — of your body

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