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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. tube — the underground
  5. craft — boats
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. stock — goods
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. stock — shares
  14. spring — of water
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. tube — a container
  17. rock — music
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. spring — a coil
  21. rock — a stone
  22. craft — a skill
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. wake — a trail

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