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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: wound · lean · press · tear · cue · trunk · sharp · straw

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. lean — thin
  3. sharp — clever
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. press — to push
  8. press — newspapers
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — a hint
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. press — a publisher
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. cue — for pool
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. lean — to bend
  23. tear — from crying
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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