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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 116 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: tear · wake · calf · ground · rule · press · squash · kick

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  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. ground — the earth
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. press — to push
  5. squash — to crush
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. tear — to rip
  8. wake — a trail
  9. press — a publisher
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. ground — a position
  13. tear — from crying
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rule — a law
  18. ground — crushed
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rule — government
  22. squash — the sport
  23. calf — of the leg
  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