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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. craft — boats
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mate — a partner
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. mate — to breed
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. shower — rain
  18. mate — a friend
  19. shower — to wash
  20. scale — in music
  21. saw — the tool
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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