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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.

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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: bore · band · bat · bass · cue · firm · wound · press

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. press — to push
  5. cue — a signal
  6. firm — decided
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. band — a ring
  11. bore — to drill
  12. wound — an injury
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — steady
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bass — low music
  17. bat — the animal
  18. cue — for pool
  19. band — a music group
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — a publisher

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