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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: press · plane · fall · game · season · firm · calf · shower

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. press — a publisher
  3. firm — a company
  4. press — newspapers
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. season — of the year
  8. fall — to drop
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — rain
  11. press — to push
  12. firm — decided
  13. firm — steady
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. shower — to wash
  17. game — wild animals
  18. fall — to drop
  19. season — in sport
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — a tool
  23. game — a match
  24. fall — the season

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