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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: dip · press · foot · current · club · fine · date · spring

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. spring — a coil
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. press — to push
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — a measure
  7. spring — the season
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. date — the fruit
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — for dancing
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. current — of water
  14. fine — all right
  15. current — electric
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. press — a publisher
  18. current — happening now
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. press — newspapers
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. spring — of water
  23. club — a group
  24. dip — to sink

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