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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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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: trunk · hand · bound · cell · press · snap · stock · rash

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. press — a publisher
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. press — newspapers
  6. bound — obliged
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stock — shares
  9. rash — a series
  10. bound — certain
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. hand — in cards
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cell — in biology
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. press — to push
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. stock — goods
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bound — tied together
  23. rash — hasty
  24. snap — to click

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