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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 spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. swing — music
  3. mark — a trace
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. field — farmland
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. spring — of water
  10. swing — in golf
  11. field — a subject
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — of a river
  15. mark — a grade
  16. craft — boats
  17. swing — to play on
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. spring — the season
  21. field — for sport
  22. spring — a coil
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. mark — to pay attention

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