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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. mug — a face
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. mug — a cup
  5. press — newspapers
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — rain
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. press — a publisher
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. mug — to rob
  18. vault — a safe
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. press — to push
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — a garden tool

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