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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 120 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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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: arm · straw · stand · press · band · racket · stick · bulb

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bulb — for light
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. band — a ring
  8. stand — to bear
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. press — to push
  21. band — a music group
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. press — a publisher

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