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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: suit · band · spring · mug · last · kick · calf · press

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. band — a music group
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. suit — to fit
  6. last — final
  7. suit — clothes
  8. spring — a coil
  9. band — a ring
  10. mug — a face
  11. press — a publisher
  12. last — to go on
  13. suit — in cards
  14. press — to push
  15. spring — the season
  16. mug — a cup
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. kick — in football
  20. spring — of water
  21. last — finally
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. press — newspapers

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