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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. drill — the tool
  3. mine — for digging
  4. spring — a coil
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. rock — a stone
  9. spring — the season
  10. suit — clothes
  11. wound — an injury
  12. shower — to wash
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. suit — to fit
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. craft — boats
  17. rock — music
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wound — an injury
  20. suit — in cards
  21. shower — rain
  22. drill — army training
  23. craft — a skill
  24. spring — of water

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