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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. rock — music
  3. rest — what's left
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. squash — the sport
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rest — a break
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. lean — thin
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bark — to shout
  22. rock — a stone
  23. craft — boats
  24. fan — to cool the air

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