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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. chest — of your body
  4. root — the cause
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. spring — the season
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stand — to bear
  9. ball — a great time
  10. root — of a plant
  11. craft — a skill
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. root — of a word
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — of water
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a dance
  24. nail — for a hammer

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