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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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Word bank
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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: swing · fork · club · scale · press · bore

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  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. fork — to eat with
  2. bore — to tire
  3. swing — to play on
  4. press — a publisher
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to drill
  8. swing — in golf
  9. press — to push
  10. press — newspapers
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. swing — music
  13. fork — in a road
  14. scale — in music
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. club — a group
  17. scale — size or range
  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