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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. press — newspapers
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bass — the fish
  5. press — to push
  6. prune — to trim
  7. field — a subject
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — to play on
  10. stock — shares
  11. field — farmland
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bass — low music
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. hand — help
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. stock — goods
  21. field — for sport
  22. press — a publisher
  23. swing — music
  24. hand — in cards

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