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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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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: chest · press · straw · racket · roll · craft · stem · club

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  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 — newspapers
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. chest — of your body
  5. roll — a cake
  6. press — a publisher
  7. roll — a list
  8. chest — a box
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. press — to push
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. club — for golf
  17. chest — of your body
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. stem — to come from
  20. club — a group
  21. craft — a skill
  22. club — for dancing
  23. craft — boats
  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