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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: nail · roll · trunk · press · bowl · squash · rest · march

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rest — a break
  7. march — the month
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rest — what's left
  11. roll — a list
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. squash — the sport
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. press — newspapers
  17. march — music
  18. rest — what's left
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. roll — a cake
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. press — a publisher
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. march — the month

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