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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.

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 · mug · can · press · stock · sharp · temple · chest

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mug — a face
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — to push
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. sharp — clever
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. chest — of your body
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. press — newspapers
  12. chest — a box
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. mug — a cup
  16. chest — of your body
  17. can — to be able to
  18. mug — to rob
  19. can — a tin
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — shares
  22. can — a tin
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. trunk — of a tree

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