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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: key · press · trunk · lash · pound · cap · tube · season

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. tube — a container
  4. season — of the year
  5. cap — of ice
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. key — for a lock
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. key — in music
  10. key — the most important part
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. season — in sport
  15. press — to push
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. cap — a lid
  18. press — a publisher
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. pound — a weight
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. press — newspapers
  24. tube — the underground

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