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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: bowl · fan · scale · hide · trunk · drill · wound · press

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. 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. fan — to cool the air
  3. scale — in music
  4. wound — an injury
  5. drill — the tool
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. drill — a practice
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. drill — army training
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. press — a publisher
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — to push
  23. scale — size or range
  24. 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