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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  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. season — of the year
  2. present — there
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. wind — moving air
  5. craft — boats
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. present — the time now
  8. lie — to recline
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — in sport
  12. band — a music group
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. craft — a skill
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. band — a ring
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bass — low music
  19. present — a gift
  20. wind — moving air
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. lie — an untruth
  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