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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: scale · press · calf · wake · last · nail · lie · band

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. lie — to recline
  4. press — to push
  5. last — to go on
  6. band — a ring
  7. last — final
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. band — a music group
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. scale — size or range
  15. press — newspapers
  16. wake — a trail
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. last — finally
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. press — a publisher
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. scale — in music
  24. nail — for a hammer

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