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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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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: scale · cap · tear · ground · press · trunk · snap · kick

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  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. ground — the earth
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. press — to push
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. kick — in football
  10. scale — in music
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — a lid
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. tear — from crying
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. scale — size or range
  19. ground — crushed
  20. cap — of ice
  21. snap — to click
  22. press — newspapers
  23. ground — a position
  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