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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: plane · cold · stock · ball · calf · clip · press · safe

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. clip — to cut
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. stock — shares
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. stock — goods
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. ball — a dance
  10. clip — a video
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. plane — a tool
  13. ball — a great time
  14. cold — an illness
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. press — to push
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. cold — not warm
  20. press — newspapers
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. clip — for paper

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