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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 120 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: cabinet · bat · straw · bass · board · wound · press · trunk

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. board — a committee
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — to push
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bass — the fish
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bass — low music
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. wound — an injury
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bat — the animal
  21. board — to get on
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. board — a flat piece

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