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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: press · pound · trunk · cell · march · roll

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. cell — a phone
  4. press — to push
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. roll — a list
  7. press — a publisher
  8. march — the month
  9. roll — a cake
  10. pound — a weight
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. cell — in biology
  15. march — the month
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. march — music

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