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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: press · band · bass · cold · deal · straw · date · cabinet

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  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. cold — the Cold War
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. band — a ring
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — the fish
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. cold — not warm
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. press — to push
  14. bass — low music
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. press — a publisher
  18. cold — an illness
  19. date — the fruit
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. deal — to handle
  22. band — a music group
  23. straw — dry grass
  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