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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.

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 · dip · calf · rock · cap · press · row · wound

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. craft — a skill
  3. rock — music
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — newspapers
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. dip — to sink
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rock — a stone
  15. press — to push
  16. row — a line
  17. craft — boats
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. cap — a lid
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wound — an injury

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