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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. can — a tin
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. press — newspapers
  5. rash — hasty
  6. swing — to play on
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. can — to be able to
  9. staff — employees
  10. ground — crushed
  11. band — a music group
  12. press — to push
  13. band — a ring
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. swing — in golf
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ground — the earth
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. can — a tin
  20. staff — a stick
  21. ground — a position
  22. swing — music
  23. rash — a series
  24. press — a publisher

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