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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 120 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: press · hand · club · lash · field · cabinet · present · land

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. press — newspapers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. press — a publisher
  5. land — to come down
  6. club — for dancing
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. club — a group
  10. field — for sport
  11. press — to push
  12. land — ground
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. land — a country
  15. hand — help
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. present — there
  18. present — a gift
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. present — the time now
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. club — for golf

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