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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. craft — a skill
  3. bat — the animal
  4. squash — the sport
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. squash — to crush
  8. band — a music group
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. craft — boats
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. rash — hasty
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. wind — moving air
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rash — a series
  24. wind — moving air

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