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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. spell — letters
  3. mate — a partner
  4. spell — a short time
  5. foot — a measure
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. craft — boats
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. net — after costs
  11. bark — to shout
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. mate — a friend
  14. spell — magic
  15. craft — a skill
  16. mate — to breed
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. net — for catching
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. net — in sport
  24. foot — the bottom

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