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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. march — the month
  4. craft — boats
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. march — the month
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bass — low music
  15. march — music
  16. craft — a skill
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bulb — for light
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. straw — dry grass

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