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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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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: kick · press · mine · rest · perch · trunk · saw · temple

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. mine — for digging
  4. perch — the fish
  5. saw — the tool
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. press — newspapers
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. press — to push
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rest — what's left
  15. kick — in football
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. rest — a break
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. press — a publisher
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rest — what's left
  24. trunk — of a car

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