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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: press · trunk · wound · date · deal · tube · swing · net

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. swing — music
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — in golf
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. wound — an injury
  9. deal — to handle
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — to push
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. press — a publisher
  14. net — in sport
  15. wound — an injury
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. net — after costs
  19. tube — a container
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. net — for catching
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. tube — the underground
  24. date — on the calendar

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