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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. cold — an illness
  3. spring — of water
  4. craft — a skill
  5. spring — the season
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — a short time
  8. cold — not warm
  9. spell — magic
  10. wound — an injury
  11. object — to protest
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. firm — decided
  14. lean — thin
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. spring — a coil
  17. craft — boats
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. firm — a company
  21. object — an aim
  22. lean — to bend
  23. object — a thing
  24. firm — steady

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