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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: rash · wind · sharp · roll · calf · mate · branch · press

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  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. rash — a series
  2. wind — moving air
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — a division
  6. press — to push
  7. rash — hasty
  8. sharp — clever
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — a friend
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. roll — a list
  19. press — newspapers
  20. mate — to breed
  21. roll — a cake
  22. wind — moving air
  23. calf — of the leg
  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