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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: press · trunk · rule · mug · mouse · pass · capital · spring

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. spring — the season
  3. mug — a cup
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. mug — a face
  6. spring — of water
  7. rule — government
  8. press — newspapers
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. pass — a permit
  11. press — a publisher
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. mug — to rob
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. capital — a city
  17. press — to push
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. rule — a law
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. spring — a coil
  24. capital — money

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