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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: press · calf · saw · arm · plane · trunk · march · root

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. root — of a word
  3. march — the month
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. march — the month
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. saw — the tool
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. plane — a tool
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — to push
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — the cause
  19. saw — the tool
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. march — music
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — in geometry

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