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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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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: squash · last · press · nail · file · branch · root · cell

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. press — to push
  5. root — of a word
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. cell — in biology
  8. squash — to crush
  9. branch — a division
  10. squash — the sport
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. root — the cause
  14. last — finally
  15. press — a publisher
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. file — a line of people
  18. press — newspapers
  19. last — to go on
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cell — a phone
  22. last — final
  23. root — of a plant
  24. file — a document

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