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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: chair · press · pass · rock · cell · wake · trunk · branch

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. rock — a stone
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in biology
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. branch — a division
  8. press — newspapers
  9. rock — music
  10. press — to push
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pass — a permit
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. press — a publisher
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. rock — to move gently

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