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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. press — newspapers
  3. roll — a cake
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. spring — a coil
  6. craft — boats
  7. bat — the animal
  8. craft — a skill
  9. roll — a list
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. scale — in music
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. press — a publisher
  17. scale — size or range
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — of water
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. press — to push

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