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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tube · bay · band · game · press · hand · toast · land

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. tube — the underground
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. land — ground
  6. press — a publisher
  7. land — a country
  8. band — a ring
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. game — a match
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. tube — a container
  13. hand — in cards
  14. toast — bread
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. game — wild animals
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. press — to push
  21. band — a music group
  22. land — to come down
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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