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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. press — newspapers
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. land — ground
  5. field — for sport
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. field — farmland
  11. ground — a position
  12. degree — an amount
  13. press — a publisher
  14. field — a subject
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. degree — from a university
  18. land — to come down
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. shower — rain
  22. degree — temperature
  23. land — a country
  24. press — to push

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