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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: staff · press · cap · straw · bass · bore · lean · craft

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. 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. cap — of ice
  2. craft — a skill
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. craft — boats
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bass — low music
  10. press — a publisher
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. cap — a lid
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. staff — employees
  16. press — to push
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bass — the fish
  19. staff — employees
  20. lean — thin
  21. staff — a stick
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. lean — to bend
  24. 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