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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. rock — a stone
  5. shower — rain
  6. rock — music
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wake — a trail
  9. spring — the season
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. field — farmland
  16. craft — boats
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. field — a subject
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. shower — to wash
  21. spring — a coil
  22. field — for sport
  23. spring — of water
  24. bowl — a dish

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