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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: craft · tube · trunk · wind · face · file · leaves · press

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. tube — the underground
  4. craft — a skill
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. face — part of the head
  11. press — to push
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — newspapers
  15. face — to confront
  16. file — a line of people
  17. face — to point toward
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. craft — boats
  20. wind — moving air
  21. tube — a container
  22. wind — moving air
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a document

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