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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. plane — a tool
  3. staff — employees
  4. craft — a skill
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. track — to keep track
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wound — an injury
  10. staff — a stick
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. craft — boats
  13. staff — employees
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to click
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. track — a song
  20. wake — a trail
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. track — a path
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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