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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: can · mug · trunk · race · wake · chair · temple · press

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  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. mug — a cup
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. can — a tin
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. mug — to rob
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. race — humankind
  9. press — newspapers
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. can — a tin
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mug — a face
  14. chair — a leader
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. can — to be able to
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — the arms race
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. press — to push
  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