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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. lean — to bend
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. craft — a skill
  7. lean — thin
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. field — farmland
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. march — the month
  16. pop — to visit
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. fork — in a road
  19. march — music
  20. field — a subject
  21. craft — boats
  22. field — for sport
  23. fork — a garden tool
  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