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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. march — music
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. spring — a coil
  10. march — the month
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — completely
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. scale — in music
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. scale — size or range
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. craft — a skill
  21. march — the month
  22. craft — boats
  23. tear — to rip
  24. spring — of water

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