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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: stick · object · press · game · staff · tear · date · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. tear — from crying
  4. press — to push
  5. object — to protest
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. object — a thing
  9. object — an aim
  10. tear — to rip
  11. staff — employees
  12. date — the fruit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. tear — from crying
  15. press — newspapers
  16. game — a match
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. press — a publisher
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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