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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. present — there
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. craft — a skill
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — thin
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. tube — the underground
  11. march — the month
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. present — a gift
  15. march — the month
  16. present — the time now
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. craft — boats
  19. tube — a container
  20. land — a country
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. march — music
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. land — to come down

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