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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. craft — a skill
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. present — there
  7. march — the month
  8. bass — low music
  9. present — a gift
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bass — the fish
  12. present — the time now
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. march — music
  16. craft — boats
  17. march — the month
  18. mine — belonging to me

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