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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tube · squash · rash · lash · vault · press · ground · band

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. squash — to crush
  3. ground — a position
  4. tube — a container
  5. band — a ring
  6. ground — the earth
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. squash — the sport
  10. press — to push
  11. ground — crushed
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. vault — a safe
  17. band — a music group
  18. press — a publisher
  19. tube — the underground
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. press — newspapers
  24. band — a rubber band

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