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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. saw — the tool
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. press — newspapers
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. band — a music group
  9. pound — a weight
  10. band — a ring
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. press — to push
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rash — hasty
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — the most important part
  19. press — a publisher
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. rash — a series
  22. key — in music
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. rash — on the skin

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