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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. race — humankind
  3. rest — what's left
  4. race — a contest
  5. spring — a coil
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. field — a subject
  8. deal — to handle
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. craft — boats
  12. spring — of water
  13. pound — a weight
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. field — for sport
  19. race — the arms race
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. spring — the season
  23. field — farmland
  24. craft — a skill

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