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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. drill — army training
  5. craft — boats
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wound — an injury
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. ground — a position
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. ground — the earth
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. plane — a tool
  24. ground — crushed

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