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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. march — music
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wake — a trail
  5. march — the month
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. craft — a skill
  8. spring — of water
  9. firm — decided
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. date — the fruit
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. craft — boats
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. spring — a coil
  18. march — the month
  19. wound — an injury
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. spring — the season
  22. firm — steady
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wake — before a funeral

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