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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bass — low music
  3. hand — in cards
  4. season — of the year
  5. press — to push
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. press — a publisher
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. season — in sport
  13. bass — the fish
  14. march — the month
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. hand — help
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. toast — bread
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. press — newspapers
  24. band — a music group

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