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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bound — tied together
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. perch — the fish
  8. craft — boats
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bulb — for light
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bulb — for light
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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