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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: calf · cabinet · staff · rush · file · press · wind · capital

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. wind — moving air
  7. press — to push
  8. file — a tool
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. staff — a stick
  11. file — a line of people
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. staff — employees
  18. press — a publisher
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. press — newspapers
  21. capital — money
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. file — a document
  24. staff — employees

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