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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 spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  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 skill
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. craft — boats
  9. bulb — for light
  10. spring — the season
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. fall — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. spring — of water
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. branch — a division
  23. fall — to drop
  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