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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: temple · wound · lash · trunk · field · rush · press · roll

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. press — a publisher
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. rush — hurry
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. press — newspapers
  10. wound — an injury
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. field — farmland
  13. wound — an injury
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. roll — a list
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. roll — a cake
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. field — a subject
  24. press — to push

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