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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. craft — a skill
  3. spring — the season
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cue — for pool
  7. press — a publisher
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. spring — of water
  11. ball — a dance
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — a hint
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. craft — boats
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. press — to push
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. press — newspapers
  22. wound — an injury
  23. ball — a great time
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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