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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: tube · branch · trunk · racket · press · rash · mate · kick

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  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. mate — a partner
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. kick — in football
  5. press — a publisher
  6. mate — a friend
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. tube — a container
  10. rash — hasty
  11. press — to push
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. tube — the underground
  16. branch — a division
  17. mate — to breed
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. rash — a series
  21. press — newspapers
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. racket — for tennis
  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