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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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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 · shower · chest · press · squash · content · tube · rest

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. press — newspapers
  3. squash — the sport
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. content — happy
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. chest — of your body
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. shower — rain
  12. rest — what's left
  13. tube — the underground
  14. press — to push
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. squash — to crush
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. tube — a container
  20. rest — what's left
  21. content — the amount
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. press — a publisher
  24. shower — to wash

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