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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. march — music
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. can — a tin
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. swing — music
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. press — to push
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. press — a publisher
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. scale — size or range
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. march — the month
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bulb — for light
  21. press — newspapers
  22. scale — in music
  23. bulb — for light
  24. march — the month

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