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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. wind — moving air
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. cap — of ice
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bank — of a river
  9. cue — for pool
  10. bank — for money
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — a lid
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. march — the month
  16. wind — moving air
  17. march — music
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bank — for money
  20. march — the month
  21. wound — an injury
  22. craft — a skill
  23. wound — an injury
  24. fan — to cool the air

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