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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. shower — to wash
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. tube — the underground
  6. chest — a box
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. bass — low music
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pit — in a race
  11. tube — a container
  12. press — to push
  13. shower — rain
  14. press — newspapers
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. press — a publisher
  18. saw — the tool
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bass — the fish
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. pit — a hole
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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