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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. spell — a short time
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fall — the season
  11. spell — magic
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bound — tied together
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bound — certain
  16. press — newspapers
  17. season — of the year
  18. press — a publisher
  19. bound — obliged
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. season — in sport
  22. cap — a hat
  23. press — to push
  24. spell — letters

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