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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: press · game · spell · last · squash · pound · ruler · band

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. squash — to crush
  3. press — a publisher
  4. spell — magic
  5. pound — a weight
  6. press — to push
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. press — newspapers
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. spell — letters
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. game — a match
  18. band — a music group
  19. squash — the sport
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. last — final
  23. game — wild animals
  24. spell — a short time

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