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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tear · trunk · lash · press · tube · chest · land · mug

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. tube — a container
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — newspapers
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. mug — a face
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. press — to push
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. mug — to rob
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. mug — a cup
  16. tube — the underground
  17. chest — of your body
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. chest — a box
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. land — a country
  22. chest — of your body
  23. land — ground
  24. land — to come down

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