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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 120 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 · charge · club · trunk · straw · can · rush · wound

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — hurry
  4. club — a group
  5. press — to push
  6. press — a publisher
  7. can — to be able to
  8. wound — an injury
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. charge — a price
  14. club — for golf
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. charge — electricity
  17. wound — an injury
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. charge — in control
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. club — for dancing
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. straw — dry grass

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