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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. cap — of ice
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cell — in biology
  9. net — for catching
  10. fall — to drop
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. press — to push
  16. fall — the season
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — a hat
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. press — a publisher
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. cell — a phone
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. temple — a place of worship

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