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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: bank · season · rash · trunk · wax · fine · club · press

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  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. fine — a penalty
  2. rash — a series
  3. club — for golf
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — all right
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bank — of a river
  16. press — a publisher
  17. club — a group
  18. club — for dancing
  19. season — in sport
  20. bank — for money
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bank — for money
  23. press — to push
  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