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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: firm · tear · press · rash · cabinet · trunk · roll · calf

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. roll — a list
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. firm — decided
  7. firm — a company
  8. rash — a series
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. firm — steady
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. tear — to rip
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. press — to push
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. press — a publisher
  20. roll — a cake
  21. press — newspapers
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. roll — on a roll

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