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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  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. craft — a skill
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. fall — to drop
  4. track — a path
  5. spring — a coil
  6. file — a document
  7. track — a song
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. rest — what's left
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. rest — a break
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. fall — to drop
  16. track — to keep track
  17. file — a tool
  18. rest — what's left
  19. fall — the season
  20. file — a line of people
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. arm — part of the body
  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