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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. press — to push
  3. net — for catching
  4. perch — the fish
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. net — in sport
  7. land — ground
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. press — a publisher
  10. net — after costs
  11. dip — to sink
  12. board — to get on
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. board — a committee
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wake — a trail
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. land — a country
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. press — newspapers
  24. land — to come down

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