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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 · ground · rash · swing · coach · rush · deal · craft

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. press — a publisher
  4. ground — the earth
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. craft — a skill
  8. swing — to play on
  9. rash — a series
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — hurry
  13. swing — music
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. press — to push
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. deal — to handle
  18. ground — crushed
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. swing — in golf
  21. ground — a position
  22. craft — boats
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. press — newspapers

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