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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. can — a tin
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — a skill
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bass — the fish
  10. can — a tin
  11. cell — a phone
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bound — obliged
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bass — low music
  16. spring — a coil
  17. can — to be able to
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bound — certain
  21. spring — the season
  22. cell — in biology
  23. craft — boats
  24. spring — of water

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