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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: bat · fine · bass · nail · press · dip · row · band

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. press — to push
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bat — the animal
  5. dip — to sink
  6. row — a line
  7. row — to paddle
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. press — newspapers
  10. fine — high quality
  11. band — a music group
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. fine — all right
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. band — a ring
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the fish

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