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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: rash · straw · present · craft · fork · press · net · wake

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. craft — a skill
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. rash — hasty
  6. net — for catching
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. rash — a series
  9. craft — boats
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. press — newspapers
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. press — a publisher
  14. wake — a trail
  15. fork — in a road
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. present — there
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. press — to push
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. present — a gift
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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