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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. press — to push
  3. lean — to bend
  4. suit — in cards
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. mate — to breed
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. mate — a friend
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. lean — thin
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — newspapers
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — the earth
  18. suit — clothes
  19. ground — crushed
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. suit — to fit
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. mate — a partner

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