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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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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 · arm · saw · trunk · court · nail · tube · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. date — the fruit
  3. tube — a container
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. press — newspapers
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. press — to push
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. saw — the tool
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. court — of law
  20. saw — the tool
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. tube — the underground
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. tube — in a tire

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