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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. mine — for digging
  5. can — to be able to
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. lie — to recline
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bat — the animal
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. press — a publisher
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. can — a tin
  19. press — newspapers
  20. mate — a partner
  21. branch — a division
  22. press — to push
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. lie — an untruth

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