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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.

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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 · mug · last · staff · pitcher · bulb · arm

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. last — final
  3. mug — a face
  4. press — a publisher
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. last — finally
  7. last — to go on
  8. mug — a cup
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. mug — to rob
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. staff — employees
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. press — to push
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. staff — employees
  23. bulb — for light
  24. press — newspapers

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