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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. press — a publisher
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. cap — a hat
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bear — the animal
  12. press — newspapers
  13. cap — a lid
  14. race — the arms race
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. race — humankind
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bear — the animal
  23. mine — for digging
  24. race — a contest

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