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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: calf · bulb · cold · rash · bound · cue · wake · press

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. press — to push
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. cue — a signal
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bound — certain
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bound — tied together
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bound — obliged
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cold — an illness
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. press — a publisher

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