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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. rest — what's left
  8. press — a publisher
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. press — to push
  11. rest — what's left
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. degree — from a university
  14. press — newspapers
  15. rest — a break
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. prune — to trim
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. calf — a young animal

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