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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 120 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. lean — to bend
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. press — a publisher
  13. lean — thin
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. press — to push
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. press — newspapers
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. fork — in a road

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