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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
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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: bear · press · dip · wound · calf · hand · chair · ground

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bear — the animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bear — the animal
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. hand — help
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. dip — to sink
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. press — a publisher
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. press — newspapers
  20. chair — a leader
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. press — to push
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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