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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've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. lean — thin
  3. drill — army training
  4. face — to point toward
  5. drill — the tool
  6. firm — decided
  7. drill — a practice
  8. face — part of the head
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. firm — steady
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. spell — letters
  14. face — to confront
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — of water
  19. firm — a company
  20. craft — boats
  21. march — the month
  22. lean — to bend
  23. spring — the season
  24. spell — magic

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