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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. club — for golf
  4. rash — a series
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. press — newspapers
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. cold — an illness
  10. rash — hasty
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. club — a group
  13. stand — to bear
  14. rush — hurry
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. cold — not warm
  22. saw — the tool
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — to push

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