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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 116 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: prune · calf · cabinet · ground · drill · wake · press · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. ground — a position
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — a publisher
  7. prune — to trim
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. ground — crushed
  12. drill — army training
  13. press — to push
  14. drill — a practice
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. drill — the tool
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. ground — the earth
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wind — moving air
  24. calf — of the leg

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