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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. craft — a skill
  3. present — there
  4. net — in sport
  5. craft — boats
  6. net — after costs
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. band — a ring
  10. cell — a phone
  11. mug — to rob
  12. spring — the season
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. mug — a cup
  15. spring — of water
  16. band — a music group
  17. stand — to bear
  18. spring — a coil
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. net — for catching
  21. cell — in biology
  22. mug — a face
  23. present — a gift
  24. stand — on your feet

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