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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. race — the arms race
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. field — for sport
  6. craft — boats
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. field — farmland
  9. march — the month
  10. craft — a skill
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. race — humankind
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. march — the month
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. spring — the season
  18. field — a subject
  19. spring — a coil
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. march — music
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. race — a contest

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