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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. track — a path
  4. drill — a practice
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. drill — the tool
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. drill — army training
  10. band — a music group
  11. row — a line
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. track — to keep track
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. row — to paddle
  19. track — a song
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rash — hasty
  23. craft — boats
  24. rash — a series

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