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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. clip — to cut
  4. spring — the season
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. file — a document
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. craft — boats
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bat — the animal
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. spring — a coil
  16. clip — for paper
  17. spring — of water
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. file — a tool
  22. clip — a video
  23. craft — a skill
  24. bat — in an idiom

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