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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 · trunk · squash · branch · race · ruler · bark · rush

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. rush — hurry
  3. race — a contest
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. press — to push
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — a publisher
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. race — the arms race
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. squash — to crush
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. branch — a division
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bark — to shout
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. squash — the sport
  24. race — humankind

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