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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: net · spring · dip · swing · press · chair · craft · squash

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. squash — to crush
  4. net — for catching
  5. chair — a leader
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. squash — the sport
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. swing — in golf
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — the season
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — to play on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. net — in sport
  16. dip — to sink
  17. craft — a skill
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. press — newspapers
  20. craft — boats
  21. net — after costs
  22. spring — of water
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. press — a publisher

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