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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spring — a coil
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wind — moving air
  5. march — the month
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. tear — to rip
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. spring — of water
  10. wind — moving air
  11. spell — magic
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. march — the month
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. craft — a skill
  18. spring — the season
  19. spell — a short time
  20. tear — from crying
  21. craft — boats
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. march — music
  24. tear — from crying

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