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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. craft — a skill
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. march — the month
  8. bound — tied together
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. staff — employees
  12. spring — a coil
  13. march — the month
  14. spring — the season
  15. march — music
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. craft — boats
  20. spring — of water
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — certain
  23. scale — size or range
  24. craft — a handicraft

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