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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. snap — to click
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. fine — all right
  6. craft — a skill
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — a lid
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. root — of a word
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. cap — of ice
  14. craft — boats
  15. root — the cause
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. root — of a plant
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. mine — for digging
  22. fine — high quality
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. fine — a penalty

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