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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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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: cell · race · bulb · press · shower · calf · staff · wind

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. wind — moving air
  8. race — the arms race
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — newspapers
  13. staff — employees
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bulb — for light
  16. shower — rain
  17. press — to push
  18. race — humankind
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cell — a phone
  21. race — a contest
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cell — in biology
  24. calf — of the leg

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