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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. craft — boats
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. ground — a position
  9. land — to come down
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. branch — a division
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. ground — crushed
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. rash — hasty
  20. craft — a skill
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. ground — the earth
  23. land — ground
  24. land — a country

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