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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: press · straw · craft · patient · scale · pitcher · nail · board

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. craft — a skill
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. press — a publisher
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. craft — boats
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. press — newspapers
  14. board — to get on
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. press — to push
  17. scale — in music
  18. board — a committee
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. patient — a sick person

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