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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bound — tied together
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bound — certain
  5. tube — the underground
  6. can — a tin
  7. tube — a container
  8. craft — boats
  9. field — farmland
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. saw — the tool
  12. field — a subject
  13. swing — to play on
  14. field — for sport
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bound — obliged
  19. lie — to recline
  20. saw — the tool
  21. can — a tin
  22. swing — music
  23. can — to be able to
  24. lie — an untruth

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