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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 · spring · drill · rash · bay · vault · face · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. press — newspapers
  5. club — for golf
  6. rash — a series
  7. club — a group
  8. drill — the tool
  9. face — to confront
  10. drill — a practice
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. drill — army training
  14. vault — a safe
  15. face — part of the head
  16. club — for dancing
  17. face — to point toward
  18. press — to push
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — of water
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. spring — a coil

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