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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: date · press · spring · roll · trunk · bat · lie · rush

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. lie — to recline
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. roll — a cake
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. spring — of water
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. press — to push
  14. bat — the animal
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. date — the fruit
  17. spring — the season
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. press — newspapers
  21. roll — a list
  22. rush — hurry
  23. press — a publisher
  24. spring — a coil

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