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

Word bank: wake · trunk · tear · cell · press · scale

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. wake — a trail
  3. tear — from crying
  4. scale — size or range
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. tear — from crying
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. press — a publisher
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. cell — a phone
  14. tear — to rip
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. press — to push
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. press — newspapers

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