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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — boats
  3. squash — to crush
  4. track — a song
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bulb — for light
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. track — a path
  11. track — to keep track
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bulb — for light
  15. dip — to sink
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. mine — for digging
  20. squash — the sport
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bulb — of a plant

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