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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. chest — a box
  3. net — after costs
  4. wake — a trail
  5. net — for catching
  6. fork — in a road
  7. craft — boats
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — a tool
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bulb — for light
  12. chest — of your body
  13. net — in sport
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. craft — a skill
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. bulb — for light
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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