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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · swing · spring · craft · press · mine · kid · saw

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. swing — to play on
  3. craft — boats
  4. saw — the tool
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. press — newspapers
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. spring — of water
  10. craft — a skill
  11. swing — in golf
  12. staff — employees
  13. mine — for digging
  14. spring — the season
  15. saw — the tool
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — to tease
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. swing — music
  20. press — a publisher
  21. press — to push
  22. staff — employees
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. staff — a stick

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