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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. object — a thing
  3. cold — not warm
  4. board — to get on
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. roll — a cake
  8. craft — a skill
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. mine — for digging
  11. cold — an illness
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. object — to protest
  16. craft — boats
  17. object — an aim
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. perch — for a bird

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