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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: bowl · squash · wind · press · craft · patient

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. 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. craft — a skill
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wind — moving air
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — to crush
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. squash — the sport
  11. press — a publisher
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. craft — boats
  15. press — to push
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. 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