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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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. land — ground
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. land — a country
  12. craft — boats
  13. craft — a skill
  14. land — to come down
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. can — a tin
  18. wake — a trail
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. straw — a straw man

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