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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
468
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 · bowl · bark · press · cue · hand · bass · chair

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bass — low music
  5. band — a music group
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bass — the fish
  10. band — a ring
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. press — to push
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. press — a publisher
  19. hand — in cards
  20. chair — a leader
  21. cue — a signal
  22. hand — help
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. cue — a hint

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