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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cabinet · calf · press · band · roll · cap · fine · content

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. fine — high quality
  3. band — a ring
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. content — happy
  6. roll — a cake
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. cap — a hat
  9. fine — all right
  10. band — a music group
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cap — of ice
  13. press — to push
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. press — newspapers
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. press — a publisher
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — the amount
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. cabinet — ministers

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