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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. clip — to cut
  4. firm — a company
  5. clip — a video
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cold — not warm
  8. craft — a skill
  9. bear — the animal
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. firm — decided
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. craft — boats
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cold — an illness
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. firm — steady
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. clip — for paper

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