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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: toast · chest · sharp · trunk · mark · temple · press · perch

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. press — to push
  5. chest — of your body
  6. press — a publisher
  7. perch — the fish
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. chest — of your body
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mark — a grade
  14. toast — bread
  15. sharp — clever
  16. press — newspapers
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. chest — a box
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. mark — a trace
  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