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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 116 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: rule · press · band · snap · bear · tube · craft · stem

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. craft — a skill
  4. band — a music group
  5. bear — the animal
  6. press — newspapers
  7. rule — a law
  8. press — to push
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. craft — boats
  12. stem — to come from
  13. tube — a container
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bear — the animal
  16. press — a publisher
  17. tube — the underground
  18. band — a ring
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. snap — to click
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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