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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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468
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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. cell — in biology
  3. hand — help
  4. craft — boats
  5. hand — in cards
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. cell — a phone
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a ring
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. snap — to click
  22. craft — a skill
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. craft — a handicraft

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