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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. capital — a city
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. rest — what's left
  7. press — a publisher
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mug — a cup
  12. press — newspapers
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. mug — to rob
  16. rest — a break
  17. press — to push
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wind — moving air
  20. lie — to recline
  21. mug — a face
  22. rest — what's left
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a big letter

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