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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: press · root · rash · band · bass · game · stand · fine

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  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. rash — on the skin
  2. press — a publisher
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. fine — all right
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. root — of a plant
  9. band — a music group
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. root — of a word
  12. game — a match
  13. root — the cause
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — high quality
  16. press — to push
  17. bass — low music
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. bass — the fish
  20. rash — hasty
  21. band — a ring
  22. rash — a series
  23. stand — to bear
  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