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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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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 · hand · club · lash · kick · bore · drill · bank

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  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. bank — for money
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. club — for golf
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — to drill
  8. press — to push
  9. press — a publisher
  10. drill — the tool
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bank — of a river
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bank — for money
  19. drill — a practice
  20. hand — help
  21. press — newspapers
  22. drill — army training
  23. lash — an eyelash
  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