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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: swing · pit · tube · field · hide · club · stand · press

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. field — a subject
  3. press — a publisher
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — to bear
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. swing — music
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. field — farmland
  12. swing — in golf
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. pit — in a race
  15. club — for golf
  16. tube — the underground
  17. club — a group
  18. tube — a container
  19. club — for dancing
  20. field — for sport
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pit — a hole
  23. press — to push
  24. press — newspapers

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