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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. craft — a skill
  3. bound — certain
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. shower — to wash
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bound — obliged
  8. face — to confront
  9. tube — a container
  10. band — a music group
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. craft — boats
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — part of the head
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a ring
  18. shower — rain
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. wound — an injury
  22. tube — the underground
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bound — tied together

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