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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: mug · hide · press · coach · cell · bore · rest · trunk

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bore — to drill
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bore — to tire
  8. cell — a phone
  9. rest — a break
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. press — newspapers
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mug — a face
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cell — in biology

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