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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: fall · roll · bass · fan · racket · band · press · season

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bass — low music
  5. fall — to drop
  6. press — to push
  7. band — a music group
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. band — a ring
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bass — the fish
  14. roll — a list
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. roll — a cake
  17. season — of the year
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. press — a publisher
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. press — newspapers
  23. fall — the season
  24. roll — on a roll

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