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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wake · bass · rush · press · straw · chest · band · ruler

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. band — a music group
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. chest — a box
  12. press — a publisher
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bass — the fish
  16. chest — of your body
  17. press — newspapers
  18. band — a ring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. press — to push

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