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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: plane · object · face · prune · arm · press · branch · rush

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. plane — a tool
  5. press — to push
  6. face — to confront
  7. press — a publisher
  8. face — part of the head
  9. press — newspapers
  10. object — an aim
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. branch — a division
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — hurry
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. prune — to trim
  20. face — to point toward
  21. object — to protest
  22. object — a thing
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. branch — of a tree

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