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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: capital · wave · patient · trunk · present · press

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. present — a gift
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. present — the time now
  5. press — to push
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. press — a publisher
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. present — there
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. press — newspapers
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. capital — money

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