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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. press — to push
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. drill — a practice
  7. press — newspapers
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. pit — a hole
  13. fall — to drop
  14. press — a publisher
  15. drill — the tool
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. fall — the season
  18. drill — army training
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pit — in a race
  21. wake — a trail
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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