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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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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. craft — a skill
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. spring — a coil
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cell — in biology
  8. rock — a stone
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. race — a contest
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. race — the arms race
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. craft — boats
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. rock — music
  20. cell — a phone
  21. chest — a box
  22. race — humankind
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — a trail

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