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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: press · leaves · wake · rash · pound · club · chip · wave

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — hasty
  6. club — for golf
  7. rash — a series
  8. press — to push
  9. press — a publisher
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — for betting
  13. pound — a weight
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wake — a trail
  19. chip — to eat
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. club — for dancing
  22. press — newspapers
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pound — to hit hard

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