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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: mug · jam · perch · press · staff · land · cabinet · bass

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. mug — a cup
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. press — a publisher
  8. perch — the fish
  9. staff — employees
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. staff — a stick
  13. staff — employees
  14. press — to push
  15. bass — low music
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a face
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bass — the fish
  24. land — a country

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