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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: bulb · press · row · chair · calf · cell

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. 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. row — to paddle
  2. press — to push
  3. cell — in biology
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. row — a line
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bulb — for light
  11. press — newspapers
  12. bulb — for light
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. chair — a leader
  18. 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