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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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. craft — a skill
  4. band — a music group
  5. spring — of water
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bat — the animal
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. craft — boats
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. lean — thin
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. spring — the season
  16. lean — to bend
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. band — a ring
  22. spring — a coil
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. band — a rubber band

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