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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 116 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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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: deal · rest · bat · band · spring · press · lie · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bat — the animal
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. band — a ring
  6. cap — a hat
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — a publisher
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. lie — to recline
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. cap — a lid
  16. rest — what's left
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. rest — what's left
  19. band — a music group
  20. press — to push
  21. spring — of water
  22. rest — a break
  23. spring — the season
  24. deal — to handle

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