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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. cold — not warm
  3. mug — to rob
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. can — a tin
  8. mug — a cup
  9. rock — music
  10. spring — the season
  11. cold — an illness
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. craft — boats
  14. spring — a coil
  15. board — to get on
  16. can — to be able to
  17. mug — a face
  18. spring — of water
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. rock — a stone
  22. board — a committee
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. can — a tin

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