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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 · foot · pitch · leaves · cold · lash · press · bass

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. foot — a measure
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. press — newspapers
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. cold — an illness
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bass — the fish
  15. press — to push
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pitch — completely
  19. cold — not warm
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bass — low music
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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