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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: season · foot · fan · mine · craft · fall · swing · press

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. fall — to drop
  3. season — of the year
  4. craft — boats
  5. press — to push
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. foot — a measure
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — a publisher
  17. swing — music
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. swing — to play on
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. season — in sport
  22. mine — for digging
  23. swing — in golf
  24. craft — a skill

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