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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: last · calf · tear · press · club · bank · cold · leaves

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. bank — for money
  3. cold — not warm
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. press — newspapers
  7. tear — to rip
  8. club — a group
  9. club — for golf
  10. bank — for money
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. last — finally
  13. cold — an illness
  14. last — to go on
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. last — final
  18. club — for dancing
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bank — of a river
  23. tear — from crying
  24. calf — a young animal

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