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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: sharp · mate · bound · press · saw · calf · stem · season

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mate — to breed
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. press — newspapers
  7. season — in sport
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bound — certain
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mate — a friend
  17. press — to push
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. press — a publisher
  22. stem — to come from
  23. mate — a partner
  24. calf — a young animal

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