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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. march — the month
  3. spring — of water
  4. tear — from crying
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — to sink
  7. net — in sport
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. tear — to rip
  10. fork — in a road
  11. spring — a coil
  12. ball — a dance
  13. march — the month
  14. net — after costs
  15. craft — boats
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. net — for catching
  18. ball — a great time
  19. spring — the season
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. march — music
  23. craft — a skill
  24. tear — from crying

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