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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: key · chip · squash · branch · hand · press · race · lean

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. race — humankind
  4. chip — to eat
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. hand — in cards
  7. press — a publisher
  8. squash — to crush
  9. hand — help
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to bend
  12. chip — for betting
  13. key — for a lock
  14. press — newspapers
  15. squash — the sport
  16. branch — a division
  17. race — a contest
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. key — the most important part
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. press — to push
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. race — the arms race
  24. key — in music

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