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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 116 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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bat — the animal
  4. snap — to click
  5. press — a publisher
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. squash — the sport
  11. lie — to recline
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. press — to push
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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