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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. craft — a skill
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. shower — to wash
  7. squash — the sport
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. spring — the season
  11. suit — clothes
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. suit — to fit
  14. squash — to crush
  15. wind — moving air
  16. craft — boats
  17. lie — to recline
  18. shower — rain
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. suit — in cards
  23. spring — a coil
  24. racket — for tennis

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