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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: arm · hand · trunk · bore · press · root · fine · lean

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bore — to tire
  6. press — newspapers
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. press — a publisher
  11. lean — thin
  12. root — the cause
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. root — of a plant
  16. press — to push
  17. root — of a word
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. hand — help
  20. lean — to bend
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. fine — high quality
  24. bore — to drill

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