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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: rush · press · trunk · court · foot · calf · net · hand

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. foot — a measure
  3. press — to push
  4. rush — hurry
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. hand — help
  7. press — newspapers
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — in sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. press — a publisher
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. net — for catching
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of law
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. hand — in cards

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