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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 124 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: press · hide · last · bank · trunk · race

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. race — humankind
  3. last — finally
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. press — newspapers
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bank — for money
  10. last — to go on
  11. bank — for money
  12. press — a publisher
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bank — of a river
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. last — final
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. press — to push

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