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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: root · pound · branch · trunk · bowl · press · last · current

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. current — electric
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. current — of water
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. press — newspapers
  13. root — of a word
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. last — finally
  16. root — of a plant
  17. pound — a weight
  18. last — to go on
  19. press — to push
  20. branch — a division
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. last — final
  23. current — happening now
  24. root — the cause

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