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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: charge · straw · club · press · trunk · cell · dip · pound

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — for dancing
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. charge — in control
  5. cell — a phone
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. charge — electricity
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. press — a publisher
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to sink
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. cell — in biology
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. club — a group
  21. press — newspapers
  22. charge — a price
  23. pound — a weight
  24. press — to push

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