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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spring — a coil
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. mine — for digging
  6. craft — a skill
  7. prune — to trim
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. kid — child
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. kid — to tease
  13. spell — a short time
  14. craft — boats
  15. spring — the season
  16. spell — magic
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. spring — of water
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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