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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: press · hide · coach · row · calf · wind · arm · vault

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. press — to push
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. row — to paddle
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. row — a line
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. wind — moving air
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wind — moving air
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. press — a publisher
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. press — newspapers
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. vault — a safe

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