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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 120 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — boats
  3. saw — the tool
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. face — to point toward
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bark — to shout
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. face — part of the head
  16. net — after costs
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — for catching
  21. wake — a trail
  22. face — to confront
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. safe — out of danger

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