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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: press · club · pound · pop · spring · tube · stem · trunk

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — the underground
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. press — a publisher
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. pop — to visit
  9. club — a group
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. press — newspapers
  14. pop — music
  15. stem — to come from
  16. club — for golf
  17. pound — a weight
  18. club — for dancing
  19. spring — of water
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. press — to push
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — the season

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