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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rock · coach · spring · cabinet · press · calf · ball · row

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. rock — a stone
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. press — a publisher
  7. spring — the season
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. spring — a coil
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. spring — of water
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. row — a line
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. rock — music
  18. row — to paddle
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a great time
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. press — newspapers

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