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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: row · staff · wake · straw · spell · press · tear · calf

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. wake — a trail
  4. press — newspapers
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. press — to push
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. staff — employees
  14. row — a line
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. tear — from crying
  17. staff — a stick
  18. spell — a short time
  19. row — to paddle
  20. press — a publisher
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — letters
  24. staff — employees

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