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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: mate · mug · pop · press · ruler · band · row · rash

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a cup
  4. pop — music
  5. press — to push
  6. rash — hasty
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. band — a ring
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — a line
  11. pop — soda
  12. mate — a partner
  13. row — to paddle
  14. rash — a series
  15. press — a publisher
  16. mug — a face
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. mate — to breed
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. mate — a friend
  22. pop — to visit
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. press — newspapers

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