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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: march · lie · chest · bulb · club · press · fine · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. march — the month
  3. press — newspapers
  4. march — music
  5. chest — a box
  6. march — the month
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bulb — for light
  11. lie — to recline
  12. club — a group
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. club — for dancing
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fine — all right
  19. bulb — for light
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. ground — crushed
  22. club — for golf
  23. press — to push
  24. press — a publisher

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