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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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. craft — a skill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. season — of the year
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — a stone
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. season — in sport
  15. tube — a container
  16. bear — the animal
  17. spring — the season
  18. bear — the animal
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. craft — boats

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