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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: craft · file · rush · current · press · season · straw · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. craft — a skill
  7. file — a line of people
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. season — of the year
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. craft — boats
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — hurry
  14. current — happening now
  15. press — newspapers
  16. file — a document
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. season — in sport
  19. file — a tool
  20. current — of water
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. press — to push
  23. press — a publisher
  24. current — electric

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