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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  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. content — happy
  3. rash — hasty
  4. stock — goods
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. tube — the underground
  7. rush — hurry
  8. drill — army training
  9. rash — a series
  10. stock — shares
  11. tube — a container
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. craft — a skill
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. content — the amount
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. drill — the tool
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  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