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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: trunk · key · fork · ground · press · rush · last · hide

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. ground — a position
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. last — final
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. fork — in a road
  14. last — to go on
  15. press — to push
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. key — the most important part
  18. last — finally
  19. press — newspapers
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. press — a publisher
  22. key — in music
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. ground — crushed

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