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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: chest · calf · bank · capital · press · mouse

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. chest — a box
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. press — newspapers
  7. capital — money
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. press — to push
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. chest — of your body
  14. capital — a city
  15. bank — for money
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the 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