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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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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: cap · cell · press · trunk · lean · leaves · cold · rock

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. rock — a stone
  3. press — newspapers
  4. rock — music
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cap — a lid
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. lean — to bend
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. cell — a phone
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. press — a publisher
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cell — in biology
  19. lean — thin
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. press — to push
  23. cold — not warm
  24. lean — to rest against

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