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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: patient · band · face · bass · staff · saw · press · jam

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. press — to push
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. staff — employees
  6. face — to confront
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bass — the fish
  9. press — newspapers
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. saw — the tool
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. staff — employees
  14. band — a ring
  15. face — to point toward
  16. staff — a stick
  17. saw — the tool
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. face — part of the head
  20. band — a music group
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. bass — low music
  24. patient — a sick person

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