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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: wound · trunk · march · bore · game · press · object · cap

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  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. wound — an injury
  2. march — the month
  3. cap — of ice
  4. march — the month
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. object — an aim
  7. cap — a hat
  8. game — a match
  9. object — to protest
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — to drill
  16. game — wild animals
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. object — a thing
  20. cap — a lid
  21. march — music
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. press — to push
  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