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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — boats
  4. net — after costs
  5. march — the month
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. stem — to come from
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. press — a publisher
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. press — to push
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. net — for catching
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. march — the month
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. press — newspapers
  24. net — in sport

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