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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: press · date · spring · last · craft · deal · board · kid

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. last — to go on
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. press — to push
  6. kid — to tease
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — the season
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. press — newspapers
  11. board — a committee
  12. kid — child
  13. spring — of water
  14. last — final
  15. craft — boats
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. craft — a skill
  20. board — to get on
  21. deal — to handle
  22. last — finally
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. date — the fruit

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