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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: suit · wake · press · club · mug · hand · board · band

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. hand — help
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. club — a group
  6. suit — to fit
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. hand — in cards
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. press — newspapers
  11. board — a committee
  12. club — for dancing
  13. band — a music group
  14. press — to push
  15. band — a ring
  16. suit — in cards
  17. club — for golf
  18. mug — a cup
  19. wake — a trail
  20. board — to get on
  21. mug — a face
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. suit — clothes
  24. mug — to rob

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