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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: swing · saw · trunk · press · bore · staff · present · rash

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. saw — the tool
  3. swing — in golf
  4. staff — employees
  5. bore — to tire
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — a series
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. saw — the tool
  12. staff — a stick
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. swing — to play on
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bore — to drill
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — a publisher
  19. staff — employees
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — there
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. present — the time now
  24. swing — music

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