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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 116 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: club · wave · band · press · pound · fan · mark · plane

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. press — a publisher
  4. club — for golf
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. club — a group
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. press — to push
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. club — for dancing
  14. press — newspapers
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — a trace
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pound — a weight
  20. plane — a tool
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. band — a ring
  24. pound — to hit hard

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