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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: hand · press · can · stem · bear · mine · band · club

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. press — newspapers
  4. stem — to come from
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. club — for golf
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — to push
  11. hand — help
  12. can — to be able to
  13. band — a music group
  14. mine — for digging
  15. can — a tin
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bear — the animal
  18. club — for dancing
  19. band — a ring
  20. can — a tin
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bear — the animal
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — part of the 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