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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: roll · wound · net · can · bear · club · sharp · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  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. press — a publisher
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bear — the animal
  4. club — for golf
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — clever
  8. roll — a list
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — after costs
  14. can — a tin
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. wound — an injury
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. club — a group
  21. net — in sport
  22. press — to push
  23. can — a tin
  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