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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. craft — a skill
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. craft — boats
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. wound — an injury
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bear — the animal
  15. tube — a container
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bank — for money
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bank — for money
  24. jam — in traffic

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