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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — a skill
  4. cap — a hat
  5. rock — music
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. game — a match
  10. cap — of ice
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. wake — a trail
  13. spring — of water
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. game — wild animals
  17. spring — a coil
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. spring — the season
  23. craft — boats
  24. cap — a lid

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