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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 116 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: club · net · coach · bulb · mine · face · march · press

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. march — the month
  5. face — part of the head
  6. net — for catching
  7. club — a group
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — a publisher
  10. face — to confront
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. club — for golf
  13. press — to push
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. march — music
  16. club — for dancing
  17. net — after costs
  18. bulb — for light
  19. face — to point toward
  20. net — in sport
  21. march — the month
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bulb — for light

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