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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. lean — thin
  5. spring — the season
  6. lean — to bend
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. press — newspapers
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. press — to push
  13. pound — a weight
  14. craft — a skill
  15. pop — music
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. pop — soda
  19. band — a ring
  20. press — a publisher
  21. spring — of water
  22. craft — boats
  23. rule — government
  24. band — a music group

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