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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: press · staff · firm · fork · craft · hide

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. staff — employees
  3. firm — steady
  4. craft — a skill
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. firm — a company
  8. fork — in a road
  9. staff — a stick
  10. press — to push
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. press — newspapers
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. firm — decided
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. press — a publisher
  18. staff — employees

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