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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: lash · branch · last · hide · cell · track · press · mouse

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. last — to go on
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. track — a path
  5. press — a publisher
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. cell — a phone
  10. last — final
  11. press — to push
  12. last — finally
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. cell — in biology
  20. track — a song
  21. press — newspapers
  22. branch — a division
  23. track — to keep track
  24. hide — animal skin

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