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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. field — farmland
  3. craft — boats
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. tube — the underground
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wake — a trail
  8. tube — a container
  9. field — a subject
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. mine — for digging
  14. pitch — completely
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. craft — a skill
  18. field — for sport
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — a sports field

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