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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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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: kick · stand · trunk · tear · press · dip · chair · bound

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. chair — a leader
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — certain
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. press — to push
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. tear — from crying
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. tear — from crying
  17. kick — in football
  18. bound — tied together
  19. stand — to bear
  20. dip — to sink
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — newspapers
  24. tear — to rip

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