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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. wake — a trail
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pit — a hole
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. press — a publisher
  8. lie — to recline
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. press — to push
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pit — in a race
  15. root — of a word
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. press — newspapers
  18. root — the cause
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. shower — to wash
  24. trunk — of a tree

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