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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: calf · press · stem · march · wound · cabinet · nail · hand

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wound — an injury
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wound — an injury
  9. march — the month
  10. stem — to come from
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. march — the month
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. press — newspapers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. press — to push
  23. press — a publisher
  24. march — music

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