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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. wound — an injury
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. cue — a hint
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cue — a signal
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. march — the month
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cue — for pool

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