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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 120 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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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: wind · swing · straw · cap · rock · root · calf · press

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. swing — music
  3. wind — moving air
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. root — of a word
  6. root — the cause
  7. cap — a hat
  8. swing — to play on
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — newspapers
  11. rock — music
  12. swing — in golf
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. cap — of ice
  15. root — of a plant
  16. press — to push
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rock — a stone
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. cap — a lid
  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