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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. spell — letters
  3. kid — child
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. current — of water
  8. craft — a skill
  9. current — happening now
  10. spell — magic
  11. craft — boats
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. current — electric
  18. kid — to tease
  19. mine — for digging
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. spell — a short time
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wound — an injury
  24. lie — to recline

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