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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — boats
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bass — low music
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bear — the animal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bear — the animal
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bass — the fish
  18. craft — a skill
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. chip — to eat
  21. row — a line
  22. spring — the season
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — for betting

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