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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 120 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: pitcher · craft · scale · shower · coach · row · swing · press

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. craft — boats
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — newspapers
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. swing — music
  11. scale — size or range
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. craft — a skill
  14. scale — in music
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a line
  17. press — to push
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. shower — to wash
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. swing — in golf
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. shower — rain
  24. swing — to play on

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