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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 124 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. track — a song
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — the sport
  5. wound — an injury
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. track — to keep track
  11. press — to push
  12. track — a path
  13. bulb — for light
  14. squash — to crush
  15. board — to get on
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bulb — for light
  21. press — a publisher
  22. chest — a box
  23. press — newspapers
  24. chest — of your body

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