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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. press — to push
  4. fine — all right
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rest — what's left
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. craft — a skill
  10. spring — a coil
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. craft — boats
  13. press — newspapers
  14. rest — what's left
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — of water
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rest — a break
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. press — a publisher
  24. fork — in a road

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