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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: pound · craft · press · fan · cell · rash · calf · jam

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. pound — a weight
  3. press — to push
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. rash — a series
  12. press — a publisher
  13. rash — hasty
  14. press — newspapers
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. craft — a skill
  17. cell — a phone
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. cell — in biology
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. craft — boats

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