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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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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: press · patient · pound · kid · club · kick · bass · scale

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. club — a group
  4. kid — to tease
  5. club — for golf
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. bass — the fish
  8. kid — child
  9. press — a publisher
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. scale — size or range
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pound — a weight
  14. press — to push
  15. press — newspapers
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. club — for dancing
  20. kick — in football
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bass — low music

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