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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: straw · club · fan · field · hand · pop · press · deal

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for golf
  5. field — farmland
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. pop — soda
  10. press — a publisher
  11. club — for dancing
  12. pop — to visit
  13. press — newspapers
  14. pop — music
  15. press — to push
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. field — for sport
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — a big deal

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