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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bound — obliged
  7. press — a publisher
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bound — tied together
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. press — to push
  13. bank — of a river
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bank — for money
  20. dip — to sink
  21. kick — in football
  22. bound — certain
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. press — newspapers

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