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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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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: pound · rush · band · race · press · vault · squash · root

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. rush — hurry
  7. press — to push
  8. vault — a safe
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. race — a contest
  11. root — of a plant
  12. squash — to crush
  13. pound — a weight
  14. race — humankind
  15. band — a ring
  16. squash — the sport
  17. race — the arms race
  18. root — of a word
  19. band — a music group
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. root — the cause
  24. press — newspapers

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