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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. toast — bread
  8. wind — moving air
  9. spring — the season
  10. march — the month
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. lean — thin
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. craft — a skill
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. spring — a coil
  19. lean — to bend
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. craft — boats

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