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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: pitcher · club · wound · face · snap · press · bass · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. press — to push
  6. bass — low music
  7. press — a publisher
  8. snap — to click
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. face — to point toward
  11. land — ground
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. club — for golf
  16. wound — an injury
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. face — to confront
  20. club — a group
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. club — for dancing
  23. land — to come down
  24. face — part of the head

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