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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. file — a document
  3. craft — boats
  4. board — a committee
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. land — a country
  7. craft — a skill
  8. land — ground
  9. land — to come down
  10. wake — a trail
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. file — a line of people
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. file — a tool
  15. spring — the season
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. board — to get on
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. spring — of water
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. chair — a leader
  23. rush — hurry
  24. spring — a coil

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