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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: rush · kid · craft · face · bowl · press · stick · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. press — to push
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — a publisher
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. kid — child
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — to confront
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. craft — a skill
  16. rush — hurry
  17. face — part of the head
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. craft — boats
  22. kid — to tease
  23. rock — a stone
  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