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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: court · prune · press · staff · calf · temple · rash · pound

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. rash — a series
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — a publisher
  7. staff — a stick
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rash — hasty
  12. court — of a king
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. press — to push
  15. staff — employees
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. staff — employees
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of law
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — for dogs

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