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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 · wake · press · kid · staff · capital · net · rule

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. staff — employees
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. net — in sport
  5. band — a music group
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. press — to push
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — a publisher
  10. net — after costs
  11. rule — a law
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. kid — to tease
  14. wake — a trail
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. net — for catching
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. staff — a stick
  19. capital — a city
  20. band — a ring
  21. staff — employees
  22. capital — money
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. rule — government

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