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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 120 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: press · branch · last · ground · hide · rest · trunk · chip

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. branch — a division
  3. press — to push
  4. rest — a break
  5. ground — the earth
  6. chip — for betting
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. ground — crushed
  10. press — newspapers
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. press — a publisher
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rest — what's left
  19. ground — a position
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. rest — what's left
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — to eat
  24. hide — animal skin

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