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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. press — to push
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. prune — to trim
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wax — to grow
  8. plane — a tool
  9. press — newspapers
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. game — wild animals
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. game — a match
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. press — a publisher
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. prune — the fruit

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