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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 116 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: trunk · press · file · hand · rock · mark · bay · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. press — a publisher
  4. mark — a trace
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. file — a document
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. hand — in cards
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. rock — music
  13. mark — a grade
  14. rock — a stone
  15. file — a line of people
  16. press — newspapers
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. file — a tool
  21. press — to push
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bay — a horse colour

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