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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: press · swing · fork · ground · straw · craft · safe · band

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. swing — in golf
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a music group
  6. craft — boats
  7. ground — the earth
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. press — to push
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. press — newspapers
  12. swing — to play on
  13. press — a publisher
  14. swing — music
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. ground — crushed
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. ground — a position
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. fork — a garden tool

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