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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 116 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: snap · trunk · press · cabinet · net · bass · wound · ground

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bass — low music
  3. ground — the earth
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. press — to push
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. ground — a position
  16. net — in sport
  17. press — a publisher
  18. net — for catching
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. net — after costs
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. snap — to click
  24. wound — an injury

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