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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 116 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 · bulb · net · pitcher · season · stick · craft · current

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. press — to push
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. season — of the year
  5. current — electric
  6. press — a publisher
  7. current — happening now
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bulb — for light
  14. press — newspapers
  15. net — for catching
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. bulb — for light
  18. craft — boats
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. craft — a skill
  22. current — of water
  23. season — in sport
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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