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

Word bank: ruler · cold · band · capital · press · calf

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. press — a publisher
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. press — newspapers
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. cold — not warm
  8. band — a music group
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. press — to push
  11. cold — an illness
  12. band — a ring
  13. capital — a city
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — money

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