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

Word bank: stem · cell · net · wound · mouse · trunk · toast · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. net — in sport
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — after costs
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — to push
  8. stem — to come from
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. toast — bread
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in biology
  24. mouse — for a computer

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