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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 124 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 · patient · roll · kid · mark · stand · bear · band

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. bear — the animal
  7. roll — a cake
  8. press — newspapers
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. roll — a list
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. band — a music group
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. band — a ring
  17. mark — a trace
  18. kid — to tease
  19. mark — a grade
  20. press — a publisher
  21. press — to push
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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