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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: swing · press · rule · last · roll · lean · craft · mine

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. lean — thin
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. last — final
  7. craft — boats
  8. press — to push
  9. roll — a list
  10. last — finally
  11. rule — government
  12. lean — to bend
  13. rule — a law
  14. swing — to play on
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. swing — in golf
  17. craft — a skill
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — a publisher
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. last — to go on
  23. roll — a cake
  24. mine — for digging

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