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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: branch · hand · calf · pop · kid · press · trunk · nail

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  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. kid — to tease
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pop — soda
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. press — a publisher
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. hand — in cards
  13. press — to push
  14. kid — child
  15. pop — music
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pop — to visit
  19. hand — help
  20. branch — a division
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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