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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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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: land · suit · wind · present · calf · press · root · bay

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. land — ground
  5. press — to push
  6. wind — moving air
  7. root — of a word
  8. root — of a plant
  9. land — to come down
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. root — the cause
  12. suit — to fit
  13. wind — moving air
  14. press — newspapers
  15. suit — clothes
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. suit — in cards
  19. land — a country
  20. present — there
  21. press — a publisher
  22. present — the time now
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. bay — a horse colour

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