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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 116 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mug — to rob
  5. snap — to click
  6. hand — in cards
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — to crush
  10. mug — a face
  11. press — to push
  12. mug — a cup
  13. track — a path
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. press — newspapers
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — a tool
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. press — a publisher
  22. track — a song
  23. track — to keep track
  24. hand — help

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