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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: band · press · staff · mug · mine · prune · fall · bass

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. press — newspapers
  3. fall — to drop
  4. band — a music group
  5. staff — employees
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mine — for digging
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. press — to push
  11. press — a publisher
  12. mug — a cup
  13. band — a ring
  14. bass — the fish
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bass — low music
  18. mug — a face
  19. fall — to drop
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. fall — the season
  24. mine — an explosive

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