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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. stock — goods
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bulb — for light
  6. craft — boats
  7. swing — to play on
  8. craft — a skill
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. staff — a stick
  12. swing — in golf
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. swing — music
  16. staff — employees
  17. land — a country
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. staff — employees
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. clip — a video

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