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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: bass · press · trunk · row · land · cabinet · current · branch

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. land — to come down
  5. bass — the fish
  6. land — ground
  7. row — to paddle
  8. branch — a division
  9. current — of water
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. press — to push
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bass — low music
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. land — a country
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. current — electric
  20. current — happening now
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. press — a publisher

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