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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mug — a face
  3. craft — boats
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rash — a series
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. mug — to rob
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mug — a cup
  18. staff — employees
  19. band — a music group
  20. rash — hasty
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. craft — a skill
  23. band — a ring
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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