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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 120 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: rest · squash · nail · spring · press · trunk · leaves · shower

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. rest — a break
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. spring — a coil
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. shower — to wash
  13. squash — to crush
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. spring — of water
  16. squash — the sport
  17. press — newspapers
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. press — to push
  20. rest — what's left
  21. shower — rain
  22. press — a publisher
  23. rest — what's left
  24. spring — the season

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