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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: straw · press · wake · kick · board · trunk · bound · staff

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. bound — certain
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. board — a committee
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. press — newspapers
  11. board — to get on
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. press — a publisher
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. staff — employees
  16. wake — a trail
  17. staff — employees
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. press — to push
  20. kick — in football
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — tied together
  24. staff — a stick

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