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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 116 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: mouse · tear · mine · press · cold · kid · rush · calf

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. press — newspapers
  4. press — to push
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cold — an illness
  11. tear — to rip
  12. cold — not warm
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. press — a publisher
  18. rush — hurry
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. kid — child
  22. tear — from crying
  23. mine — for digging
  24. kid — to tease

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