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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: cue · craft · saw · squash · lean · field · press · pitcher

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. craft — a skill
  3. press — newspapers
  4. saw — the tool
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. craft — boats
  8. squash — to crush
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — farmland
  11. squash — the sport
  12. cue — for pool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. press — to push
  15. cue — a signal
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. lean — thin
  19. field — for sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cue — a hint
  23. lean — to bend
  24. pitcher — a jug

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