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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: bowl · press · net · trunk · wind · rush · mug · pass

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. net — after costs
  4. mug — to rob
  5. net — in sport
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mug — a face
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. press — newspapers
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. press — to push
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. rush — hurry
  21. net — for catching
  22. press — a publisher
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. wind — moving air

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