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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: calf · pound · wave · press · mouse · wind

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pound — a weight
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. press — to push
  14. press — newspapers
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — to hit hard

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