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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. can — to be able to
  4. chest — of your body
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. can — a tin
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. degree — temperature
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. degree — from a university
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. degree — an amount
  15. prune — to trim
  16. chest — a box
  17. craft — a skill
  18. can — a tin
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. chest — of your body

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