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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: pop · bark · race · charge · trunk · march · press · club

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. race — humankind
  3. club — for golf
  4. race — the arms race
  5. charge — a price
  6. pop — soda
  7. club — a group
  8. march — the month
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. race — a contest
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. charge — in control
  15. bark — to shout
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. pop — music
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. march — the month
  20. press — to push
  21. club — for dancing
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. march — music
  24. press — a publisher

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