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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: trunk · ruler · capital · foot · branch · pop · press · fine

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. foot — a measure
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. press — newspapers
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. pop — to visit
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. fine — high quality
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. fine — all right
  13. branch — a division
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. pop — music
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — money
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. pop — soda
  24. press — to push

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