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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. scale — size or range
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — in music
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — for digging
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — boats
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cabinet — ministers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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