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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: ball · cold · press · last · root · branch · trunk · cabinet

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — a division
  4. press — to push
  5. press — a publisher
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. press — newspapers
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cold — an illness
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. last — final
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. root — the cause
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. root — of a word
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a dance

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