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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: trunk · game · prune · field · mine · rush · press · pound

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. pound — a weight
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. press — newspapers
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. field — a subject
  11. prune — to trim
  12. press — to push
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. rush — hurry
  16. game — wild animals
  17. prune — to trim
  18. press — a publisher
  19. field — farmland
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. game — a match
  22. mine — for digging
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. rush — to hurry

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