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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: pitch · plane · press · race · snap · trunk · mark · branch

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. race — a contest
  3. press — a publisher
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. plane — a tool
  7. branch — a division
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. mark — a trace
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. press — newspapers
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. race — humankind
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. race — the arms race
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. mark — a grade
  22. pitch — completely
  23. press — to push
  24. branch — of a bank

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