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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: bowl · press · tube · last · foot · calf · mate · band

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. press — to push
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. last — to go on
  7. band — a ring
  8. last — finally
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mate — a partner
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — a container
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. press — a publisher
  19. tube — the underground
  20. press — newspapers
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. last — final
  23. band — a music group
  24. mate — a friend

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