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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.

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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: coach · press · swing · squash · craft · wax · race · perch

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. squash — the sport
  4. swing — in golf
  5. craft — a skill
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. press — to push
  8. perch — the fish
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. craft — boats
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — humankind
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. swing — to play on
  18. press — newspapers
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. wax — to grow
  21. swing — music
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. squash — to crush

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