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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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. snap — to click
  2. foot — a measure
  3. craft — boats
  4. march — the month
  5. staff — employees
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bore — to tire
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bore — to drill
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. march — music
  14. bulb — for light
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. straw — dry grass
  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