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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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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: last · bound · ground · club · trunk · saw · press · nail

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. last — finally
  4. press — to push
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. saw — the tool
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. club — for dancing
  9. saw — the tool
  10. club — for golf
  11. bound — obliged
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bound — certain
  15. ground — crushed
  16. press — newspapers
  17. club — a group
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. ground — a position
  20. bound — tied together
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. ground — the earth
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — final

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