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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 120 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: calf · kick · court · wake · press · wound · rash · dip

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. press — to push
  3. rash — hasty
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. wake — a trail
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rash — a series
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. dip — to sink
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of law
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — a publisher
  21. kick — in football
  22. wound — an injury
  23. court — of a king
  24. dip — to dunk

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