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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: bore · object · club · press · pound · face · kick · bass

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. face — to point toward
  5. object — an aim
  6. press — to push
  7. bass — low music
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. face — to confront
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bore — to drill
  13. face — part of the head
  14. object — a thing
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. club — a group
  17. press — a publisher
  18. kick — in football
  19. object — to protest
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bore — to tire
  22. club — for golf
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bass — the instrument

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