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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: season · press · tube · lash · net · trunk · content · squash

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. press — newspapers
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. net — in sport
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. season — in sport
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. tube — a container
  11. squash — the sport
  12. content — happy
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — of the year
  15. press — to push
  16. tube — the underground
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. net — for catching
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. content — the amount
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. net — after costs
  23. press — a publisher
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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