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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  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. racket — for tennis
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. spring — a coil
  7. staff — employees
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. drill — army training
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. craft — a skill
  15. spring — the season
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. staff — a stick
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. kid — to tease
  20. staff — employees
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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