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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 120 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: march · press · leaves · ball · net · rash · perch · trunk

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. press — a publisher
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. net — after costs
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. march — music
  8. net — for catching
  9. perch — the fish
  10. ball — a great time
  11. net — in sport
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. press — to push
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. march — the month
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — a series
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. ball — a dance
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. press — newspapers

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