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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: pound · press · rest · branch · mark · shower · trunk · arm

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  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. trunk — of a tree
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mark — a grade
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. press — to push
  10. rest — a break
  11. branch — a division
  12. press — a publisher
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. press — newspapers
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mark — a trace
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  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