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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. cap — a lid
  6. swing — in golf
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. cap — of ice
  10. press — newspapers
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. cap — a hat
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. fork — in a road
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. tear — to rip
  20. swing — to play on
  21. press — to push
  22. press — a publisher
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. coach — a trainer

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