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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: present · face · pitcher · mug · trunk · bark · press · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bark — to shout
  3. mug — a cup
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. present — a gift
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. mug — a face
  10. present — the time now
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. mug — to rob
  13. present — there
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. face — part of the head
  17. press — to push
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — to point toward
  24. press — a publisher

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