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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. press — a publisher
  3. band — a ring
  4. court — for sport
  5. plane — a tool
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. can — a tin
  9. shower — rain
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. press — to push
  14. shower — to wash
  15. can — to be able to
  16. band — a music group
  17. court — of a king
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. press — newspapers
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. can — a tin
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. trunk — of a tree

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