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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. swing — in golf
  4. face — part of the head
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. tear — from crying
  8. land — ground
  9. craft — boats
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — to confront
  12. lean — thin
  13. land — a country
  14. spring — the season
  15. ball — a dance
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — music
  18. tear — to rip
  19. spring — of water
  20. craft — a skill
  21. land — to come down
  22. tear — from crying
  23. spring — a coil
  24. ball — a great time

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