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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 · chest · date · mate · press · fork · tear · trunk

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. tear — from crying
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. chest — of your body
  5. press — to push
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. mate — to breed
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. press — a publisher
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — in a road
  14. chest — of your body
  15. tear — to rip
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. mate — a partner
  18. kick — in football
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. date — the fruit
  21. press — newspapers
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. mate — a friend
  24. tear — from crying

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