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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: mouse · net · trunk · suit · chair · press · clip · hand

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. hand — in cards
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — for paper
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. net — after costs
  11. suit — in cards
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. suit — to fit
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. press — a publisher
  16. net — in sport
  17. suit — clothes
  18. press — newspapers
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. press — to push
  21. clip — a video
  22. hand — help
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. chair — a leader

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