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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · fall · craft · spring · tube · march · deal · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. march — the month
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. spring — a coil
  5. fall — to drop
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. spring — the season
  8. march — music
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. tube — a container
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. spring — of water
  15. fall — to drop
  16. tube — the underground
  17. march — the month
  18. craft — a skill
  19. craft — boats
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. deal — to handle
  22. fall — the season
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. hide — animal skin

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