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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. scale — size or range
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. march — music
  7. spring — a coil
  8. scale — in music
  9. march — the month
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — the season
  12. mug — a cup
  13. craft — boats
  14. mug — to rob
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. mug — a face
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. march — the month
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. craft — a skill
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pound — for dogs

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