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

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. squash — to crush
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. spring — a coil
  5. saw — the tool
  6. snap — to click
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. spring — the season
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for dancing
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. press — newspapers
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. spring — of water
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. press — a publisher
  20. branch — a division
  21. saw — the tool
  22. press — to push
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. squash — the sport

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