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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. press — newspapers
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — a hole
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. press — to push
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. drill — the tool
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bulb — for light
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. drill — army training

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