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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. spring — the season
  6. mine — for digging
  7. spring — of water
  8. board — to get on
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. board — a committee
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. craft — a skill
  15. season — of the year
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. season — in sport
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. spring — a coil
  24. craft — boats

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