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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. mine — for digging
  3. craft — a skill
  4. roll — a list
  5. rest — a break
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bore — to tire
  9. mate — a friend
  10. rest — what's left
  11. roll — a cake
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. wake — a trail
  17. mate — a partner
  18. hand — help
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. craft — boats
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bore — to drill

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