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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bass — low music
  4. press — newspapers
  5. wind — moving air
  6. vault — a safe
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. press — to push
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bass — the fish
  12. march — music
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. march — the month
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. fall — the season
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. press — a publisher
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. march — the month
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. straw — a straw man

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