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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: kick · band · ground · press · calf · prune · foot · swing

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. kick — in football
  3. ground — crushed
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. swing — to play on
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. ground — a position
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. swing — in golf
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. prune — to trim
  16. ground — the earth
  17. swing — music
  18. foot — a measure
  19. band — a ring
  20. press — newspapers
  21. band — a music group
  22. press — a publisher
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. band — a rubber band

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