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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
468
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: trunk · tube · leaves · fan · mate · press · spring · bark

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — the season
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mate — to breed
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bark — to shout
  14. press — to push
  15. spring — a coil
  16. tube — the underground
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. press — newspapers
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. press — a publisher
  22. tube — a container
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. mate — a friend

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