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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 120 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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. craft — boats
  5. spring — a coil
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spring — of water
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. spring — the season
  13. last — finally
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. wake — a trail
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. last — final
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. craft — a skill
  23. last — to go on
  24. wake — before a funeral

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