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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 120 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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. bank — for money
  3. cue — a hint
  4. field — a subject
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. field — for sport
  9. craft — boats
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. field — farmland
  13. craft — a skill
  14. bound — tied together
  15. cue — a signal
  16. bound — obliged
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bound — certain
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cue — for pool
  24. pitcher — a jug

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