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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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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mine — for digging
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. press — to push
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. press — newspapers
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. press — a publisher
  19. rock — a stone
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. rock — music
  22. branch — a division
  23. foot — a measure
  24. rush — hurry

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