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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — of water
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. craft — a skill
  5. board — to get on
  6. kid — to tease
  7. mug — a cup
  8. spring — a coil
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. kid — child
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. shower — rain
  17. mug — to rob
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. board — a committee
  20. mug — a face
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — to wash
  24. craft — boats

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