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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 120 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. bear — the animal
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. fork — in a road
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bear — the animal
  10. spell — magic
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. squash — to crush
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. craft — boats
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. spell — a short time
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. spell — letters
  24. squash — the vegetable

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