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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: press · trunk · shower · season · stock · game · bulb · racket

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. shower — rain
  4. game — a match
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. press — to push
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. press — newspapers
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. stock — shares
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. season — of the year
  14. stock — goods
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. season — in sport
  19. shower — to wash
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. game — wild animals
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. press — a publisher
  24. bulb — for light

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