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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — a skill
  4. band — a music group
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rush — hurry
  7. face — to confront
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. face — part of the head
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. band — a ring
  14. craft — boats
  15. mine — for digging
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. face — to point toward
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. deal — to handle
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. mine — belonging to me

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