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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. last — final
  4. bass — low music
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. land — to come down
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. craft — a skill
  12. land — a country
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. craft — boats
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. last — to go on
  18. land — ground
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. last — finally
  21. wound — an injury
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — the fish

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