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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. chest — of your body
  4. press — newspapers
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wound — an injury
  7. chest — of your body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. chest — a box
  13. wound — an injury
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. hand — help
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. press — to push

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