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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: rest · craft · chair · press · racket · ground · prune · nail

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. ground — crushed
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. craft — boats
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rest — a break
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. rest — what's left
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. chair — a leader
  18. press — a publisher
  19. ground — the earth
  20. rest — what's left
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ground — a position
  23. press — to push
  24. press — newspapers

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