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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. key — for a lock
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. press — to push
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. season — of the year
  11. key — the most important part
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. press — a publisher
  17. key — in music
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. press — newspapers
  21. season — in sport
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pop — soda

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