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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 120 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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. press — a publisher
  4. club — for golf
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rule — government
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. perch — the fish
  10. press — to push
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. club — a group
  13. tear — from crying
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. tear — from crying
  17. club — for dancing
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — a law
  23. craft — a skill
  24. craft — boats

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