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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  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. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pit — a hole
  3. branch — a division
  4. file — a tool
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. file — a document
  7. pit — in a race
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. press — a publisher
  12. spring — the season
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. spring — of water
  17. file — a line of people
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. spring — a coil
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. press — to push
  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