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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 116 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. row — to paddle
  3. craft — a skill
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. spring — a coil
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. spring — of water
  16. craft — boats
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. rule — government
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. spring — the season
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rule — a law
  23. row — a line
  24. craft — a handicraft

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