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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: trunk · chip · rash · press · capital · spell · rest · nail

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — to eat
  4. spell — magic
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. rash — a series
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. spell — a short time
  12. press — a publisher
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rash — hasty
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. spell — letters
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. capital — a city
  19. rest — a break
  20. capital — money
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. rest — what's left
  23. press — newspapers
  24. trunk — of a car

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