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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: rule · chest · stick · press · pop · spell · wound · club

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. chest — of your body
  4. wound — an injury
  5. spell — a short time
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. spell — magic
  8. club — for dancing
  9. chest — a box
  10. rule — government
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. pop — soda
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. press — newspapers
  15. spell — letters
  16. press — a publisher
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. press — to push
  19. rule — a law
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — music
  22. chest — of your body
  23. club — for golf
  24. wound — an injury

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