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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  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. calf — a young animal
  2. press — to push
  3. bear — the animal
  4. press — newspapers
  5. field — farmland
  6. prune — to trim
  7. spell — a short time
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. prune — to trim
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — for sport
  17. spell — magic
  18. bear — the animal
  19. lie — to recline
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. spell — letters
  23. lie — an untruth
  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