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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 116 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: cap · cell · press · rest · stem · snap · trunk · bat

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. rest — a break
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. rest — what's left
  10. press — newspapers
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. cap — a hat
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cell — a phone
  17. snap — to click
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bat — the animal
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bat — in an idiom

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