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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: bore · pound · press · season · track · rush · safe · calf

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. press — a publisher
  4. season — of the year
  5. bore — to tire
  6. pound — a weight
  7. track — a path
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. press — newspapers
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. track — a song
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. season — in sport
  16. press — to push
  17. rush — hurry
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bore — to drill
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. rush — to hurry

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