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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: calf · rest · cold · leaves · march · stick · season · press

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. cold — an illness
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. march — the month
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rest — what's left
  7. press — a publisher
  8. cold — not warm
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. press — to push
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rest — what's left
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. season — of the year
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. press — newspapers
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. march — the month
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. march — music

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