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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. can — a tin
  6. spell — letters
  7. wind — moving air
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. can — a tin
  11. ground — a position
  12. spell — magic
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. press — newspapers
  15. wind — moving air
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. press — to push
  18. ground — crushed
  19. press — a publisher
  20. spell — a short time
  21. can — to be able to
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. ground — the earth
  24. deal — to handle

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