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

Word bank: club · press · wind · bank · trunk · board

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. press — a publisher
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. board — a committee
  6. bank — of a river
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. wind — moving air
  9. club — a group
  10. bank — for money
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. board — to get on
  13. press — newspapers
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. wind — moving air
  16. press — to push
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — for golf

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