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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
468
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 · bark · hide · bound · fall · snap · press · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bound — certain
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. season — in sport
  8. snap — to click
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — a publisher
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fall — to drop
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. fall — the season
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bound — tied together
  24. press — to push

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