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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: craft · bat · mouse · swing · track · spring · toast · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. toast — bread
  4. swing — music
  5. spring — a coil
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. track — to keep track
  9. spring — the season
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. spring — of water
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — to push
  14. track — a path
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. track — a song
  18. craft — a skill
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. craft — boats
  23. swing — in golf
  24. mouse — the animal

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