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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: present · coach · hand · ball · pass · trunk · ground · press

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. present — a gift
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. ground — crushed
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ground — the earth
  11. present — there
  12. press — newspapers
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pass — a permit
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. present — the time now
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ground — a position
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. ball — a dance
  23. press — to push
  24. press — a publisher

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