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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.

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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: wave · game · press · straw · rock · craft · deal · present

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. craft — boats
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. deal — to handle
  6. present — a gift
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — a match
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. press — newspapers
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. present — the time now
  17. game — wild animals
  18. rock — a stone
  19. present — there
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. craft — a skill
  22. press — a publisher
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. press — to push

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