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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 116 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. craft — a skill
  3. tube — a container
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. cap — a hat
  6. craft — boats
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. fork — in a road
  10. shower — to wash
  11. rock — music
  12. club — a group
  13. shower — rain
  14. club — for golf
  15. tube — the underground
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — letters
  19. club — for dancing
  20. cap — of ice
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. cap — a lid
  24. spell — a short time

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