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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 120 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. ground — the earth
  4. band — a music group
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. craft — boats
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. chair — a leader
  15. ground — crushed
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. wake — a trail
  18. ground — a position
  19. craft — a skill
  20. band — a ring
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. fall — to drop
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. coach — a trainer

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