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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. cold — an illness
  3. bank — of a river
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. pop — to visit
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. pop — music
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. pop — soda
  11. bank — for money
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bank — for money
  14. board — to get on
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — to push
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. press — newspapers
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. cold — not warm
  24. board — a committee

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