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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bank — of a river
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. degree — from a university
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. kick — in football
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. season — of the year
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bank — for money
  20. press — to push
  21. bank — for money
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — temperature
  24. press — newspapers

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