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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. craft — boats
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. race — a contest
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. race — humankind
  15. swing — to play on
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rash — a series
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. swing — music
  20. craft — a skill
  21. race — the arms race
  22. swing — in golf
  23. rash — hasty
  24. prune — the fruit

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