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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 116 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. can — a tin
  5. hand — help
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. shower — to wash
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. press — to push
  11. rest — a break
  12. hand — in cards
  13. can — a tin
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. shower — rain
  16. press — a publisher
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. press — newspapers

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