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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 116 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: game · spell · calf · tube · saw · straw · pass · press

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pass — a permit
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. game — a match
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. press — newspapers
  12. spell — letters
  13. saw — the tool
  14. tube — a container
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. tube — the underground
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. press — to push
  19. spell — magic
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. spell — a short time
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. saw — the tool

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