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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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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: trunk · press · club · ruler · object · bowl · last · wake

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. press — a publisher
  4. last — final
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — a trail
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. club — a group
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. press — newspapers
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. object — an aim
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. club — for golf
  19. last — finally
  20. object — a thing
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. press — to push
  23. last — to go on
  24. ruler — for measuring

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