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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: ground · press · rush · squash · nail · branch · saw · track

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. ground — crushed
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. track — a path
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rush — hurry
  11. press — a publisher
  12. ground — a position
  13. branch — a division
  14. press — newspapers
  15. ground — the earth
  16. saw — the tool
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. track — a song
  19. press — to push
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. track — to keep track
  24. saw — the tool

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