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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: march · ground · prune · band · calf · rush · object · press

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  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. calf — a young animal
  2. object — a thing
  3. press — to push
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a music group
  6. march — the month
  7. ground — a position
  8. prune — to trim
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. prune — to trim
  11. press — a publisher
  12. march — music
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. band — a ring
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. ground — the earth
  18. object — an aim
  19. rush — hurry
  20. ground — crushed
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. object — to protest
  23. march — the month
  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