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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: foot · spring · last · press · pitcher · cell · arm · trunk

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. last — final
  6. foot — a measure
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. cell — in biology
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. spring — of water
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. spring — the season
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. spring — a coil
  17. press — to push
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. cell — a phone
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — a publisher

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