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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 120 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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. craft — boats
  9. file — a document
  10. cap — of ice
  11. band — a ring
  12. cap — a hat
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cap — a lid
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. plane — a tool
  19. file — a tool
  20. band — a music group
  21. craft — a skill
  22. file — a line of people
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bat — the animal

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