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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. rock — a stone
  3. club — for dancing
  4. chest — of your body
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. craft — a skill
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. date — the fruit
  10. object — a thing
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rock — music
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. chest — of your body
  15. club — for golf
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. object — to protest
  18. shower — rain
  19. club — a group
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. craft — boats
  22. bark — to shout
  23. object — an aim
  24. chest — a box

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