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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. cap — a lid
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. cap — of ice
  6. suit — to fit
  7. rock — music
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. march — music
  11. suit — clothes
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. wound — an injury
  14. suit — in cards
  15. march — the month
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. cap — a hat
  19. wound — an injury
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. craft — boats
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. march — the month
  24. craft — a skill

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