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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chip · trunk · degree · patient · chest · bulb · roll · press

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — to push
  7. bulb — for light
  8. degree — from a university
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — to eat
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. chest — a box
  15. bulb — for light
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. roll — a list
  18. press — newspapers
  19. degree — temperature
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. degree — an amount
  22. chest — of your body
  23. roll — a cake
  24. chest — of your body

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