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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. can — to be able to
  6. craft — a skill
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. can — a tin
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. lean — thin
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. fork — in a road
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — not warm
  18. march — music
  19. can — a tin
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. craft — boats
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. lean — to bend

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