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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: spring · cue · swing · press · wind · stick · calf · foot

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cue — a signal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. spring — of water
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cue — a hint
  10. swing — in golf
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. press — a publisher
  14. swing — music
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. press — to push
  17. press — newspapers
  18. swing — to play on
  19. foot — a measure
  20. cue — for pool
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — the season

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