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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: ruler · squash · press · bear · tube · tear · club · band

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. club — for golf
  3. band — a music group
  4. bear — the animal
  5. club — a group
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — to push
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bear — the animal
  10. press — newspapers
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — a container
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. band — a ring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. tube — the underground
  20. club — for dancing
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — to crush
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. tear — from crying

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