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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. date — the fruit
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. swing — in golf
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cell — a phone
  17. swing — music
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. cell — in biology
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. craft — boats
  23. rash — a series
  24. swing — to play on

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