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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. craft — boats
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. swing — music
  7. ground — the earth
  8. craft — a skill
  9. bark — to shout
  10. staff — employees
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. ground — a position
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. swing — to play on
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. swing — in golf
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. shower — rain
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. staff — employees
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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