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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: bulb · tube · staff · shower · hand · press · present · band

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. press — newspapers
  3. staff — employees
  4. band — a ring
  5. staff — a stick
  6. press — to push
  7. bulb — for light
  8. shower — to wash
  9. band — a music group
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. hand — help
  13. present — a gift
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. present — the time now
  17. hand — in cards
  18. present — there
  19. staff — employees
  20. bulb — for light
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. press — a publisher
  24. tube — a container

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