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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: hand · fall · temple · perch · patient · ruler · press · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. hand — help
  3. press — a publisher
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. press — newspapers
  8. hand — in cards
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. fall — the season
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. press — to push
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. fall — to drop
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. perch — the fish
  23. fall — to drop
  24. ruler — for measuring

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