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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: branch · press · hide · wake · cabinet · rash · perch · bore

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. press — to push
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bore — to tire
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — a publisher
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rash — a series
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bore — to drill
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. cabinet — ministers

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