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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. march — the month
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. saw — the tool
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. march — the month
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. march — music
  12. saw — the tool
  13. tear — to rip
  14. band — a ring
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. cell — in biology
  17. craft — a skill
  18. band — a music group
  19. tear — from crying
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. craft — boats
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. safe — out of danger

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