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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: chair · press · present · march · stand · wax · ball · band

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. present — the time now
  4. wax — to grow
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. march — the month
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. march — music
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. ball — a great time
  11. press — newspapers
  12. present — there
  13. band — a music group
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. press — to push
  16. band — a ring
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. present — a gift
  19. ball — a dance
  20. press — a publisher
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. march — the month
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. stand — to bear

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