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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. spring — the season
  4. craft — boats
  5. row — a line
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of law
  9. spring — a coil
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rock — a stone
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. toast — bread
  17. rock — music
  18. band — a music group
  19. court — of a king
  20. row — to paddle
  21. band — a ring
  22. spring — of water
  23. wind — moving air
  24. craft — a skill

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