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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: racket · can · field · pop · rest · press · bark · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. rest — what's left
  3. press — to push
  4. field — farmland
  5. rest — a break
  6. band — a ring
  7. bark — to shout
  8. can — a tin
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. can — to be able to
  11. press — a publisher
  12. pop — to visit
  13. can — a tin
  14. field — a subject
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. press — newspapers
  17. field — for sport
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pop — soda
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. pop — music
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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