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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. craft — boats
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. craft — a skill
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bound — certain
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bulb — for light
  15. snap — to click
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bound — obliged
  22. mug — to rob
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bulb — of a plant

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