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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. hand — in cards
  3. craft — boats
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. cue — a hint
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bore — to drill
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to tire
  13. cue — for pool
  14. rock — a stone
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. craft — a skill
  18. rock — music
  19. hand — help
  20. cue — a signal
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. lean — to bend
  24. chest — a box

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