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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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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. press — a publisher
  3. tear — from crying
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. mate — to breed
  8. rash — a series
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. tear — to rip
  12. rash — hasty
  13. press — to push
  14. club — a group
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. capital — money
  18. club — for dancing
  19. press — newspapers
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. capital — a city
  22. mate — a partner
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. mate — a friend

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