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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: press · lie · club · fan · snap · board · stand · field

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. field — farmland
  3. board — to get on
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. field — for sport
  6. press — a publisher
  7. stand — to bear
  8. field — a subject
  9. club — a group
  10. press — to push
  11. lie — to recline
  12. snap — to click
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. board — a committee
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. club — for dancing
  22. press — newspapers
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. stand — on your feet

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