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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. craft — a skill
  3. spring — of water
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. stock — goods
  8. rest — what's left
  9. spring — the season
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. root — of a plant
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. chest — of your body
  15. spring — a coil
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. craft — boats
  18. chest — a box
  19. root — of a word
  20. rash — a series
  21. rest — a break
  22. root — the cause
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. chest — of your body

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