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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. press — to push
  3. mine — for digging
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. degree — temperature
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bear — the animal
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bear — the animal
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. press — a publisher
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. degree — an amount
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — hurry
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. trunk — of a car

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