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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: kick · wave · band · key · pitcher · press · rule · rash

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. press — to push
  6. press — a publisher
  7. rule — a law
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — in music
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. press — newspapers
  14. band — a ring
  15. kick — in football
  16. rule — government
  17. rash — hasty
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. key — for a lock
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rash — a series
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. band — a music group

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