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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. can — a tin
  5. face — part of the head
  6. cold — an illness
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. face — to confront
  9. can — a tin
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. board — to get on
  12. cold — not warm
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. press — a publisher
  16. season — in sport
  17. face — to point toward
  18. season — of the year
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. board — a committee
  21. press — to push
  22. press — newspapers
  23. can — to be able to
  24. trunk — of a car

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