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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: content · trunk · land · cabinet · hide · ball · press · march

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. land — to come down
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. ball — a great time
  9. press — a publisher
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — the amount
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. press — to push
  14. press — newspapers
  15. land — ground
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. land — a country
  18. march — the month
  19. content — happy
  20. march — music
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. march — the month
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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