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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. band — a music group
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. craft — a skill
  5. season — in sport
  6. root — the cause
  7. march — the month
  8. season — of the year
  9. band — a ring
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. board — to get on
  12. root — of a word
  13. tube — the underground
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. tube — a container
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. root — of a plant
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. board — a committee

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