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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: squash · press · club · race · staff · wave

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. club — for dancing
  3. race — a contest
  4. club — for golf
  5. squash — the sport
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. press — newspapers
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — the arms race
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. staff — a stick
  12. club — a group
  13. staff — employees
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. squash — to crush
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. staff — employees
  18. 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