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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: shower · press · pop · spring · wax · trunk · file · chip

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. press — newspapers
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. file — a document
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. shower — to wash
  9. wax — to grow
  10. file — a line of people
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. spring — the season
  13. press — a publisher
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — for betting
  17. shower — rain
  18. file — a tool
  19. spring — a coil
  20. press — to push
  21. pop — soda
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. pop — music
  24. spring — of water

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