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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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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: rash · wound · trunk · cell · press · rule

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. 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. wound — an injury
  2. cell — in biology
  3. press — to push
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — a series
  7. rule — government
  8. rash — hasty
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. rule — a law
  12. wound — an injury
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. press — a publisher
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. press — newspapers
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. 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