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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. bass — low music
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. present — there
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. shower — rain
  9. present — the time now
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. track — a path
  12. cell — a phone
  13. present — a gift
  14. track — to keep track
  15. craft — a skill
  16. shower — to wash
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cell — in biology
  19. wound — an injury
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. track — a song
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bass — the fish
  24. craft — boats

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