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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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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 · mine · vault · march · mate · toast · present

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. present — a gift
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. press — to push
  7. press — a publisher
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. present — the time now
  14. toast — bread
  15. press — newspapers
  16. mate — a partner
  17. march — music
  18. mate — to breed
  19. march — the month
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. march — the month
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mine — for digging

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