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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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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 · swing · fall · band · patient · club · content · ball

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. press — to push
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. ball — a dance
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. swing — music
  9. club — a group
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. swing — in golf
  13. fall — to drop
  14. press — newspapers
  15. club — for dancing
  16. content — the amount
  17. press — a publisher
  18. swing — to play on
  19. ball — a great time
  20. content — happy
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. fall — to drop
  23. club — for golf
  24. ball — a round shape

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