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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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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: fork · cold · pound · lie · fine · land · press · calf

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cold — an illness
  4. land — a country
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pound — a weight
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cold — not warm
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. land — ground
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — all right
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. fork — in a road
  20. lie — to recline
  21. land — to come down
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — a publisher

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