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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: press · suit · trunk · cell · foot · temple · wax · board

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. suit — clothes
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. cell — a phone
  5. press — newspapers
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. suit — in cards
  12. cell — in biology
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. foot — a measure
  19. board — a committee
  20. suit — to fit
  21. press — to push
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wax — to grow
  24. temple — side of the head

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