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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: club · bank · foot · trunk · dip · nail · press · kick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. press — a publisher
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bank — for money
  7. club — for dancing
  8. press — to push
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. dip — to sink
  13. foot — a measure
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. bank — of a river
  16. club — a group
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. press — newspapers
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bank — for money
  23. club — for golf
  24. foot — the bottom

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