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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: club · coach · trunk · pop · press · hand · fall · chair

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. fall — the season
  4. chair — a leader
  5. hand — in cards
  6. press — to push
  7. pop — music
  8. press — a publisher
  9. pop — to visit
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. press — newspapers
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — for golf
  15. hand — help
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. fall — to drop
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. pop — soda
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fall — to drop
  24. club — a group

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