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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: bore · object · club · press · pound · face

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bore — to drill
  3. face — part of the head
  4. object — to protest
  5. face — to point toward
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — to push
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. object — an aim
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — a weight
  13. object — a thing
  14. club — a group
  15. bore — to tire
  16. club — for dancing
  17. press — newspapers
  18. face — to confront

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