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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 120 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: net · rock · hand · arm · press · season · perch · craft

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. craft — boats
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. press — to push
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. press — newspapers
  11. craft — a skill
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. press — a publisher
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. hand — in cards
  16. net — for catching
  17. season — of the year
  18. perch — the fish
  19. net — after costs
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. season — in sport
  22. net — in sport
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — to move gently

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