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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 120 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: bass · wake · arm · press · sharp · cell · trunk · mug

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wake — a trail
  3. mug — a face
  4. bass — low music
  5. mug — to rob
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. press — a publisher
  8. mug — a cup
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. cell — in biology
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bass — the fish
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. sharp — clever
  20. press — to push
  21. press — newspapers
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. cell — a phone

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