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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 124 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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. face — to point toward
  3. file — a line of people
  4. craft — a skill
  5. file — a document
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — a stone
  12. face — to confront
  13. rock — music
  14. wound — an injury
  15. craft — boats
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. file — a tool
  20. wind — moving air
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. face — part of the head

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