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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: craft · press · wax · squash · staff · bat · coach · dip

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. press — a publisher
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. squash — to crush
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. dip — to sink
  10. craft — boats
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. staff — employees
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. craft — a skill
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bat — the animal
  19. staff — employees
  20. press — newspapers
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. staff — a stick
  23. wax — to grow
  24. craft — a handicraft

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