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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
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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: net · band · dip · press · capital · file · bear · drill

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. press — newspapers
  4. capital — money
  5. net — after costs
  6. bear — the animal
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. file — a line of people
  9. press — a publisher
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. net — in sport
  12. press — to push
  13. drill — army training
  14. net — for catching
  15. bear — the animal
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. dip — to sink
  19. drill — the tool
  20. capital — a city
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. drill — a practice

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