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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: wake · mine · press · board · vault · rule · band · suit

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. vault — a safe
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. rule — a law
  7. band — a music group
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. suit — in cards
  11. press — a publisher
  12. suit — clothes
  13. mine — for digging
  14. press — newspapers
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wake — a trail
  17. rule — government
  18. board — to get on
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. band — a ring
  22. board — a committee
  23. press — to push
  24. suit — to fit

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