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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: straw · wind · mug · temple · press · wound · present · trunk

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mug — a cup
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wound — an injury
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a face
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. press — newspapers
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. press — to push
  19. press — a publisher
  20. present — there
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — a gift

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