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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: row · mark · band · rest · hand · press · track · cap

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. cap — of ice
  3. track — a song
  4. cap — a lid
  5. press — a publisher
  6. rest — what's left
  7. press — to push
  8. hand — help
  9. rest — a break
  10. hand — in cards
  11. mark — a trace
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. rest — what's left
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. band — a ring
  17. row — to paddle
  18. cap — a hat
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. track — a path
  23. row — a line
  24. track — to keep track

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