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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: trunk · swing · spring · sharp · craft · shower · press · cell

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — music
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. shower — to wash
  9. craft — a skill
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. cell — in biology
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. shower — rain
  14. press — a publisher
  15. spring — of water
  16. swing — to play on
  17. craft — boats
  18. cell — a phone
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. sharp — clever
  22. press — to push
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — a coil

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