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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · saw · craft · coach · rash · chair · rock · bear

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  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. press — a publisher
  2. press — to push
  3. rash — hasty
  4. press — newspapers
  5. rock — music
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. rash — a series
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. rock — a stone
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. bear — the animal
  14. saw — the tool
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. craft — boats
  17. bear — the animal
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. saw — the tool
  22. craft — a skill
  23. rash — on the skin
  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