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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. shower — rain
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. stem — to come from
  5. swing — in golf
  6. pit — a hole
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — to grow
  9. rest — what's left
  10. craft — boats
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rest — what's left
  15. swing — to play on
  16. rest — a break
  17. craft — a skill
  18. pit — in a race
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. swing — music

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