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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. tube — the underground
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. cold — an illness
  11. craft — boats
  12. pop — music
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — a law
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cold — not warm
  20. tube — a container
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bark — to shout
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. pop — soda

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