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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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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: tear · toast · trunk · arm · craft · deal · press · calf

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. tear — to rip
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. craft — a skill
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. tear — from crying
  8. craft — boats
  9. press — newspapers
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. deal — to handle
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. press — to push
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. tear — from crying
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. toast — bread

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