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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 120 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: board · staff · pop · trunk · wind · pitch · cell · press

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. pop — soda
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. press — to push
  5. press — newspapers
  6. staff — employees
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pop — to visit
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. cell — in biology
  12. pitch — completely
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. staff — a stick
  17. pop — music
  18. board — to get on
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. staff — employees
  21. cell — a phone
  22. board — a committee
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. press — a publisher

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