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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 116 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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. craft — a skill
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pit — a hole
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. rest — a break
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — a container
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pit — in a race
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. craft — boats
  24. mine — an explosive

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