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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: press · pitcher · prune · content · calf · tube · pound · lash

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. content — happy
  3. prune — to trim
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pound — a weight
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. press — newspapers
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. press — to push
  16. tube — the underground
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. press — a publisher
  20. content — the amount
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. tube — a container
  24. lash — an eyelash

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