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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: spring · calf · cell · file · pop · firm · bore · press

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. file — a tool
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. spring — a coil
  6. firm — decided
  7. file — a document
  8. cell — in biology
  9. press — a publisher
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. firm — steady
  12. file — a line of people
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pop — soda
  16. spring — the season
  17. cell — a phone
  18. pop — to visit
  19. press — to push
  20. spring — of water
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. pop — music
  23. bore — to drill
  24. firm — a company

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