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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 · content · spell · press · mate · rash · tube · field

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — a series
  5. club — for dancing
  6. spell — a short time
  7. club — a group
  8. mate — to breed
  9. content — happy
  10. press — to push
  11. content — the amount
  12. field — farmland
  13. mate — a friend
  14. press — newspapers
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. press — a publisher
  18. spell — magic
  19. club — for golf
  20. spell — letters
  21. field — a subject
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. mate — a partner
  24. field — for sport

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