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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. season — in sport
  6. band — a ring
  7. spell — letters
  8. season — of the year
  9. mine — for digging
  10. band — a music group
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. press — newspapers
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. spell — magic
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. spell — a short time
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. press — to push
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mine — belonging to me

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