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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. rash — a series
  3. perch — the fish
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. craft — a skill
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — letters
  9. can — a tin
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. spell — a short time
  12. lie — to recline
  13. craft — boats
  14. can — a tin
  15. shower — to wash
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rash — hasty
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. shower — rain
  21. band — a music group
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a ring

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