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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: press · row · calf · face · band · key · swing · ground

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. ground — the earth
  5. face — to confront
  6. press — newspapers
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. face — to point toward
  9. ground — a position
  10. row — to paddle
  11. key — for a lock
  12. face — part of the head
  13. key — the most important part
  14. row — a line
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. press — to push
  17. band — a music group
  18. swing — in golf
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. key — in music
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. ground — crushed
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — to play on

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