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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 116 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: present · craft · court · file · calf · firm · lean · press

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of law
  4. present — a gift
  5. press — a publisher
  6. firm — decided
  7. craft — boats
  8. press — to push
  9. present — there
  10. craft — a skill
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. court — of a king
  13. press — newspapers
  14. present — the time now
  15. lean — thin
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a document
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. firm — steady
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. file — a tool
  24. firm — a company

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