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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: cabinet · calf · ground · press · nail · capital · wind · rush

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. ground — a position
  5. capital — money
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. capital — a city
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. ground — the earth
  16. rush — hurry
  17. wind — moving air
  18. press — to push
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. press — a publisher
  21. wind — moving air
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. press — newspapers
  24. nail — for a hammer

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