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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: press · arm · trunk · nail · land · toast · chest · chip

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. press — to push
  5. toast — bread
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. chip — to eat
  8. land — ground
  9. press — newspapers
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chest — of your body
  14. land — to come down
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. press — a publisher
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. chest — a box
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. chip — for betting
  23. land — a country
  24. nail — for a hammer

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