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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: can · rush · press · spell · calf · bass · net · straw

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. net — after costs
  4. bass — low music
  5. spell — letters
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. rush — hurry
  8. spell — a short time
  9. net — in sport
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. can — a tin
  12. press — to push
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bass — the fish
  15. spell — magic
  16. can — to be able to
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. press — newspapers
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. can — a tin
  24. net — for catching

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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