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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 116 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
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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 · press · cabinet · shower · rash · rest · chip · court

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. press — to push
  4. press — a publisher
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. rest — what's left
  8. shower — to wash
  9. chip — for betting
  10. press — newspapers
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. court — for sport
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. court — of law
  16. chip — to eat
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rest — a break
  21. rash — a series
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. court — of a king

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