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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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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: stand · land · racket · deal · press · band · lie · kid

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. band — a ring
  3. press — newspapers
  4. kid — child
  5. press — to push
  6. land — ground
  7. press — a publisher
  8. land — a country
  9. lie — to recline
  10. band — a music group
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — to tease
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. deal — to handle
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. land — to come down
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. deal — a big deal

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