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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: tube · bass · trunk · press · foot · charge · chest · branch

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. bass — the fish
  3. chest — of your body
  4. press — a publisher
  5. tube — the underground
  6. charge — a price
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. charge — in control
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. foot — a measure
  13. charge — electricity
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. press — to push
  16. bass — low music
  17. tube — a container
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. chest — a box
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. chest — of your body
  24. tube — in a tire

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