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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. press — newspapers
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. file — a line of people
  6. rule — government
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bound — tied together
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. file — a tool
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — in sport
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bound — certain
  19. file — a document
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bound — obliged
  22. press — to push
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. rule — a law

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