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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: jam · bore · straw · stick · face · club · rash · press

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. club — a group
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. press — to push
  10. club — for dancing
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. rash — a series
  13. press — a publisher
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bore — to tire
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. face — to confront
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. club — for golf
  20. bore — to drill
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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