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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. rash — hasty
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. press — newspapers
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. clip — a video
  8. press — a publisher
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. clip — to cut
  12. staff — a stick
  13. rash — a series
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. press — to push
  19. craft — a skill
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. chest — of your body
  23. craft — boats
  24. clip — for paper

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