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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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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 · bound · bear · current · content · trunk · march · press

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. press — to push
  3. bound — certain
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bound — tied together
  6. march — the month
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. march — the month
  9. current — happening now
  10. content — the amount
  11. cap — of ice
  12. content — happy
  13. current — electric
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bound — obliged
  17. press — a publisher
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bear — the animal
  21. march — music
  22. press — newspapers
  23. cap — a hat
  24. current — 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