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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: shower · date · clip · chip · toast · press · wake · calf

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. shower — rain
  4. clip — to cut
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. press — a publisher
  7. date — the fruit
  8. press — to push
  9. toast — bread
  10. clip — for paper
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. shower — to wash
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. chip — for betting
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. chip — to eat
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. clip — a video
  23. wake — a trail
  24. press — newspapers

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