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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 120 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 who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. press — to push
  3. press — newspapers
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. mate — a friend
  6. press — a publisher
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. mate — a partner
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. drill — a practice
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. drill — army training
  15. mate — to breed
  16. stand — to bear
  17. drill — the tool
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. prune — to trim
  22. fall — the season
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. fall — to drop

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