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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bank — of a river
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mate — a partner
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bank — for money
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. mate — to breed
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a leader
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bank — for money
  15. press — to push
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. club — a group
  19. press — newspapers
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. club — for dancing
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. press — a publisher

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