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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
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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: press · cue · spring · wave · field · cold · rash · craft

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. press — a publisher
  3. cold — not warm
  4. press — newspapers
  5. spring — of water
  6. cold — an illness
  7. field — for sport
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. craft — a skill
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. press — to push
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cue — for pool
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cue — a hint
  17. spring — the season
  18. field — a subject
  19. rash — a series
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. cue — a signal
  22. spring — a coil
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. craft — boats

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