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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 120 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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. spring — the season
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. chip — for betting
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. cap — a lid
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. spring — of water
  9. scale — in music
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. chip — to eat
  15. craft — a skill
  16. spring — a coil
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. scale — size or range
  20. craft — boats
  21. cap — of ice
  22. last — finally
  23. cap — a hat
  24. plane — a tool

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