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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. wind — moving air
  3. shower — rain
  4. file — a line of people
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. shower — to wash
  8. cell — in biology
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wind — moving air
  11. file — a tool
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. file — a document
  17. rest — a break
  18. craft — boats
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a music group
  22. cell — a phone
  23. craft — a skill
  24. band — a ring

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