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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 · file · capital · saw · firm · wound · season · club

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. club — a group
  3. file — a line of people
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. press — to push
  6. wound — an injury
  7. capital — a city
  8. file — a document
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. firm — a company
  12. saw — the tool
  13. firm — steady
  14. press — a publisher
  15. capital — money
  16. firm — decided
  17. club — for dancing
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. club — for golf
  20. file — a tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. season — in sport
  24. press — newspapers

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