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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in biology
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. plane — a tool
  6. field — farmland
  7. wound — an injury
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. wound — an injury
  10. chip — to eat
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. craft — boats
  14. field — a subject
  15. craft — a skill
  16. chip — for betting
  17. field — for sport
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. rule — government
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. rule — a law
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pound — a weight

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