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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. hand — help
  3. craft — a skill
  4. bear — the animal
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. fine — high quality
  7. bear — the animal
  8. hand — in cards
  9. fine — all right
  10. craft — boats
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. temple — a place of worship

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