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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.

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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 · branch · straw · tube · leaves · bulb · band · ball

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. band — a ring
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bulb — for light
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. ball — a great time
  9. branch — a division
  10. press — a publisher
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. press — newspapers
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. press — to push
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. tube — a container
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. tube — the underground

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