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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: bass · press · row · mate · trunk · wax · bore · calf

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. press — a publisher
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bore — to drill
  8. press — newspapers
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. mate — a friend
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bass — low music
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. press — to push
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bass — the fish
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. wax — to grow
  23. row — a line
  24. row — to paddle

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