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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: stem · calf · wound · saw · roll · field · wind · press

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. field — for sport
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. roll — a cake
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wind — moving air
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. press — newspapers
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. field — farmland
  14. wound — an injury
  15. field — a subject
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wound — an injury
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. press — a publisher
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. press — to push
  24. saw — the tool

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