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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. cold — an illness
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wound — an injury
  5. craft — boats
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. rush — hurry
  19. cold — not warm
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wound — an injury
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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