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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. spring — the season
  3. season — in sport
  4. craft — a skill
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. saw — the tool
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. spring — of water
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. net — in sport
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. craft — boats
  15. season — of the year
  16. saw — the tool
  17. spring — a coil
  18. net — for catching

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