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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bass — low music
  5. spring — of water
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a hat
  12. pound — a weight
  13. craft — boats
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. deal — to handle
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. bass — the fish
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. spring — the season
  22. cap — a lid
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. coach — a trainer

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