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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: trunk · wind · rule · swing · land · leaves · press · mouse

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. press — to push
  4. rule — government
  5. land — a country
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. swing — to play on
  10. rule — a law
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. swing — in golf
  13. land — to come down
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. press — a publisher
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. land — ground
  20. wind — moving air
  21. swing — music
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. press — newspapers
  24. rule — to rule out

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