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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 116 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. mug — to rob
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. drill — army training
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mug — a face
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. field — a subject
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. mug — a cup
  21. field — farmland
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. field — for sport

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