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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. craft — boats
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. file — a line of people
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bark — to shout
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. file — a document
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stock — shares
  14. craft — a skill
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. staff — employees
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. file — a tool
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stock — goods
  22. staff — employees
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. game — a kind of play

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