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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ruler · spell · hand · pound · press · club

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. club — for golf
  4. press — a publisher
  5. spell — letters
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. spell — a short time
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. club — for dancing
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — a weight
  13. press — newspapers
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. club — a group
  16. hand — in cards
  17. ruler — for measuring
  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