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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. present — there
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. craft — a skill
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. perch — the fish
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. present — the time now
  14. craft — boats
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bore — to drill
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. present — a gift
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. bore — to tire
  22. stem — to come from
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a great time

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