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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 120 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: bear · press · lash · land · bat · track · rush · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. track — a path
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. club — a group
  11. bat — the animal
  12. rush — hurry
  13. land — a country
  14. club — for golf
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. track — a song
  17. press — to push
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. press — a publisher
  20. track — to keep track
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. land — ground
  23. land — to come down
  24. press — newspapers

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