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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. swing — to play on
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — in golf
  6. season — of the year
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. stem — to come from
  9. squash — to crush
  10. craft — boats
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. wind — moving air
  13. press — newspapers
  14. tube — the underground
  15. squash — the sport
  16. tube — a container
  17. press — a publisher
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. season — in sport
  23. press — to push
  24. tube — in a tire

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