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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. last — final
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. band — a ring
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. last — to go on
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. last — finally
  12. can — a tin
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. wind — moving air
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. craft — boats
  20. scale — in music
  21. can — a tin
  22. wind — moving air
  23. band — a music group
  24. scale — size or range

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