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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: pop · last · jam · trunk · safe · press · present · wound

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. present — the time now
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. wound — an injury
  6. last — finally
  7. press — to push
  8. present — there
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pop — soda
  11. press — newspapers
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. last — final
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — music
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. last — to go on
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. press — a publisher
  24. wound — an injury

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