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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 116 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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. cell — in biology
  3. craft — boats
  4. season — of the year
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — certain
  7. file — a document
  8. season — in sport
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — the cause
  11. craft — a skill
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. file — a line of people
  17. march — music
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. bound — obliged

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