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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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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: shower · trunk · chest · date · kick · temple · current · press

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — the fruit
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. chest — of your body
  11. shower — rain
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. press — a publisher
  14. shower — to wash
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. current — electric
  17. kick — in football
  18. chest — a box
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. current — of water
  22. press — newspapers
  23. chest — of your body
  24. press — to push

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