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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: club · leaves · firm · wound · mate · spell · lean · press

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. club — for golf
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mate — a friend
  6. firm — steady
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. wound — an injury
  9. firm — decided
  10. lean — thin
  11. spell — magic
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — a publisher
  14. mate — to breed
  15. press — to push
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. club — for dancing
  18. firm — a company
  19. spell — a short time
  20. lean — to bend
  21. spell — letters
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. club — a group

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