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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 · lash · hand · jam · mate · patient · trunk · saw

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. mate — a friend
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. mate — a partner
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. mate — to breed
  9. hand — in cards
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. press — to push
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. press — newspapers
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. jam — a tight spot
  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